Hush
by Hollow28
Summary: Misao loses her voice in an accident, and somehow Ayano thinks it's all her fault. Can they keep their relationship a secret? Or will someone catch on? Miyano fic .:Hush:.
1. The Accident

Hello, it's Hollow28 and I'm so excited to be posting this! This is my first fanfiction and I want to tell you to please Review if you liked it or if you have any ideas for later on… oh, and don't stop reading if you think this is all nice and fluffy, because towards the end it gets a bit deeper. Thanks!

The sky was a paling blue, the sun slowly rising over the treetops. The high school in Japan in which four girls, Miyuki Takara, Kagami and Tsukasa Hiiragi, and Konata Izumi, attended, had a paint peeling picnic table in the shade of a tree. That was where the girls had decided to meet each morning, including many of their other friends, whether first years or third like themselves. The picnic table was empty that morning. No one sat on its benches, warmed by the sun and cooled by the shade provided by the large tree. No one was there that day. Yet.

"Oh, it looks like we're the first to arrive, sis…" Tsukasa said sleepily. She plopped down on the bench, tugging at the long sleeves of her winter uniform. Tsukasa gave a rather large yawn, excused herself, and pulled out her phone. A short selection of music came from the speakers on the phone as Tsukasa began to play a game application.

Kagami fixed her sister's sloppily addressed bow, tugging it to center itself on the top of her head. Then she patted the top of Tsukasa's head, hopping to de-frizz the lilac hair. "I wonder where everyone is today," Kagami wondered. She pulled out her light novel and began to read, the only noise of the winter school day the blipping of Tsukasa's pink phone.

"Kagamin! Waifu, it is you!" Konata chirped abruptly, Kagami yanking her head up to see the small blue-haired otaku waving about a Gamers bag, Yutaka following close behind. Yutaka applied her blue ribbons, pulling her hair into two small pigtails.

"Don't call me your wife!" Kagami barked as Konata straggled onto Kagami's back. Kagami flailed about a little, screaming muffled words that Tsukasa made out as, "Get off me! Get off my back!"

"So tsundere," Konata cooed as Tsukasa put away her phone and yanked her off her sister's back.

"Good morning, Kona-chan, Yutaka-chan," Tsukasa grinned. She bowed a bit to the first year cousin of Konata, Yutaka.

"G'morning, Hiiragi-san," Yutaka replied. "I decided to walk to Gamers with Kona-chan and I had to wake up really early." Yutaka blinked sleep from her eyes. "To tell the truth, I believe I'll let Konata-chan's father take me to the train station from now on…"

Konata's cat like grin reappeared as she clambered onto the table top, strutting about as she showed off her new Haruhi Suzimaya manga, collector's edition. Kagami whacked her lightly on the head with her light novel and told her to sit down.

"Look, it's Miwiki-san," Konata called out, pointing to a peach haired girl with glasses.

"Good morning everyone, I apologize for being late, I tripped and spilled my breakfast everywhere, so it took me longer to get to the train…then I realized I had to take a latter train," Miyuki apologized. She had planted a palm on her right cheek and her face was tinged with a rosy blush.

"Moe!" Konata exclaimed. "You are the perfect essence, the wondrous moe Miwiki-san!"

Miyuki blushed brighter. "M-moe…?"

Kagami sighed heavily and mimicked Konata's nasal tone: "You are clumsy—"

Tsukasa burst out laughing and pinched her nose, morphing her mouth as best as she could to look like a sideways three, and finished: "—and clumsy is sexy!"

Miyuki grinned and chuckled politely, her face tinged red now. Konata frowned as Yutaka even agreed it sort of sounded like her. "I don't sound nasal!" she retorted. "And clumsy _is _sexy."

"You sound like a perverted old man," Kagami laughed.

Hiyori Tamura ran over, hair twisted and knotted. Her shoes were on the wrong feet, glasses fogged. She was even wearing her summer uniform instead of her winter. She clutched her book bag and sketchbook, muttering something like, "It's wonderful! Brilliant!" She sat down quickly, cleaned her glasses, fixed her shoes, and ran a hand through her hair. She pulled out a pencil in the mess and continued to sketch whatever it was that was on her mind.

"Good morning, Tamura-san," Miyuki greeted, face still a bit crimson.

"Must. Sketch," Hiyori murmured in a monotone voice.

"Hiyorin! Did you get a good idea?" Konata asked, crawling across the table and peeking at her sketch. Hiyori just mumbled a mixture of letters that couldn't form any words.

Minami stumbled over to the picnic table. A few other kids were gathering in the courtyard of the school now, and Tsukasa checked her cell phone for the time. It was almost eight, the time school would start. It was 7:40. Tsukasa greeted Minami as Minami bowed and apologized to Miyuki for not going to the train with her. Kagami remembered Minami and Miyuki were neighbors.

Patty, Ayano, and Misao had somehow met up with one another and all arrived five minutes after Minami. Patty then asked, in her shrill voice, "Minami-chan, why are you so sleepy today?"

Misao was messing with a bug and trying to fling it at Ayano, who was laughing warily as Misao repeated, "I'm just kiddin' with ya, Ayano!"

"I stayed up all night—" Minami was cut off.

"Oh, did ya finish reading another novel?" Misao interrupted. Apparently she was done messing with bugs and putting them in Ayano's face.

"No, I—" Minami, again, paused to allow Tsukasa to venture a guess.

"Oh, no, did Cherry bark all night long? I don't like it when puppies get loud at night time," Tsukasa asked.

"No, I stayed up all night playing video games," the mint haired girl said quickly and quietly. Everyone fell absolutely silent.

"You play videogames?" Hiyori gawked. Her pencil was down, amazingly. She began to have a detailed fantasy, one where Minami was (again, as usual) the boyish role of the couple she wished would just happen. Minami was in the middle of playing a video game, eyes focused, as Yutaka squealed as another scary beast appeared in the dungeon of a castle.

"It's just a game," fantasy Minami cooed, brushing fantasy Yutaka's small face. Fantasy Yutaka's face was red, and she nodded. "Besides, you're so much prettier than the princess in this…" She leaned in for the passionate kiss, but Hiyori yelped.

"I'm such a pervert!" she moaned, slapping her face onto the table top. Konata, once again, stood on the table and put her chin in the air, one fist in the air, the other in the center of her chest. She took a big breath, as if she was going to make a long speech.

"I knew it! Waifu, tell them I predicted this from the start—"

"I'm _not _your _wife_!" Kagami shot back.

"—about Minami, that she was an Otaku at heart!" Konata grinned as Hiyori added more to the drastic effect as she whispered into Patty's ear. Then, in unison, they cried out their agrees and shielded their eyes. "She must have a hentai stash, some form of manga or anime, somewhere in her house! Detective Konata is on the case!"

"By the way, Minami, what video game were you playing?" Yutaka asked.

No one but Yutaka heard the response because Konata's loud assumptions were clearer than Minami's shy answer.

The deafening school bell rang. Tsukasa had ten minutes to get to her class after dropping by her locker quickly. It was simple: Tsukasa ran to locker 310 after saying her goodbyes to the others, unlocked it with her four digit combination, and stuffed her phone and her math books inside. She pulled out her world history books, and then readied herself for the dash to Kuroi Sensei's class.

Konata strolled through the halls. Kuroi Nanako was already used to her being late, so why was today different? Well, she wanted to show a few of the boys in her class her new manga, and she wanted to give everyone a good laugh. Konata opened her locker, put away her things, and walked at her usual pace to the class. She sat her bag down, pulled out her school book from the desk which she always kept there, and removed her manga from the Gamers bag.

"Sensei, sensei!" Konata called. A few of the kids gave her sideways looks that seemed to say, "You're early?" while others continued to talk to their friends. "I got the new Haruhi manga this morning!" With this, some kids nodded, understanding that she had gotten up early. Miyuki was somehow already in her seat, book in hand, supplies on the top of her desk.

"Kyah! I didn't know that was out yet," Kuroi groaned, jealous. A few of the other otakus in the class began to hover about, if, of course, they liked Haruhi.

"Konata's always got the best manga," Tsukasa giggled. Miyuki looked up from her book, pushed her glasses up, and nodded.

"I suppose that's true," Miyuki laughed, agreeing happily with her young friend. "Oh, yes, Hiiragi-san, I was wondering if perhaps you would draw me a flower? You're sister told me you drew a beautiful petunia the other day."

Tsukasa smiled big. "She's just too flattering," she gushed. "I can draw you one, Miyuki."

Miyuki gave her a piece of paper and watched, mystified, as Tsukasa began to draw a little flower with two leaves and eight petals, a butterfly flitting about by it. Miyuki's face turned two shades darker than that morning, and realized how dear Tsukasa was to her. But she wasn't quite ready to tell her that…no, not for a while, at least. Miyuki smiled though. Tsukasa was a very good friend.

"Hiiragi?" Sensei Sakuraba read on the register.

Kagami slowly raised her hand and said clearly, "Here."

Sakuraba continued down the roll call register and came to Misao. "Kusakabe?"

"Here," she yawned.

"Minegishi?" Sakuraba read aloud, not pausing.

"Here…" Ayano replied quietly, looking out of the window, chin in hand. A bird flicked past the window, making her jump, but she relaxed quickly. A slip of paper slid onto her desk. She unfolded it. In Misao's sloppy child-like writing, she read:

'Sakuraba's such a bore, huh? I wonder why Sensei isn't as free as Kuroi-sensei.'

Ayano laughed a bit, scrawled something, and slid it onto Misao's desk.

Misao looked down at the paper, satisfied with a response, and read it.

'I suppose, but we do learn more…'

She shook her head, slightly surprised, though she shouldn't have been, with Ayano's answer. Quickly she wrote to Kagami, 'What do you think? Should Sensei be as free willed as Kuroi-sensei?'

Kagami snorted, which caused Sakuraba to look up from the text book which she was reading aloud, and Kagami apologized. Then she scribbled down on the paper, 'No, we learn more than the little squirt's class.'

Misao's mouth twisted into a frown; her bright eyes narrowed. "Hmmm." Furiously she wrote to Kagami, 'Why do you always talk about her? Do you talk that way about me?'

Kagami was a bit stunned about this. 'Yes, I do,' she wrote, though it was a lie. She turned to see Misao's excited reaction.

'If you had to, would you marry me?' Misao responded, quickly scratching it down on the paper. Kagami's heart thumped in her chest slowly.

'Misao, why are you asking this?' she swiftly responded. There's no way she'd answer that.

Misao read Kagami's infuriated answer on the paper so, instead of writing an apology to Kagami, she marked, 'Hey, Ayano, if you had to, would you marry me?'

Ayano blushed slightly and replied, 'Yes, I guess I would.'

Misao was happy with her friends, the way Kagami was 'unable to admit' how she felt, and the way Ayano offered her friendly love. Misao smiled in a cocky way and put her head down on the table to sleep. In two period's time, lunch would be here, and with lunch, there were meat balls.

"How's your bento box, Kagami?" Tsukasa asked, hoping to get a bit of flattery, since she had made the bento boxes that day.

"Kagamin will love the treatment of fatty sweets, especially those that go straight to the thighs," Konata teased.

"Shut up!" Kagami remarked loudly. "It's delicious, Tsu-chan."

"Delicious and fatty," Konata added darkly.

"I said shut up!" Kagami yelled.

"What did you want to tell us again, Hiiragi-san?" Miyuki asked Kagami in her soft voice.

"Oh yeah!" Kagami remembered. "Do you think it's weird if someone asked you if they would marry you?"

Tsukasa and Miyuki blinked. Konata looked devastated. "It's a normal question for one you love, Hiiragi-san," Miyuki stammered. Tsukasa nodded.

"Who wants to marry my waifu?" Konata demanded. "Was it my dad? 'Cause he asks every tsundere high school girl that."

Miyuki and Tsukasa screamed and Kagami smacked her face into her palm. "No, it was Misao. She asked if I had to, would I marry her."

"You said no, right?" Konata asked.

"Well, not exac—"

"No! My waifu is not Kusakabe's!"

"I didn't say yes either, squirt!" Kagami butted in.

She hugged Kagami's waist and grinned big. "Good," she muttered. "Kagamin will always be mine, right?"

Kagami smiled, ran a hand through Konata's hair and asked, "It _was _a bit weird for Misao to ask, but then again, she's always sort of weird."

Misao almost dropped her meatball. She was in the doorway, about to walk over and give Kagami her prized meatball until she saw the little otaku hugging her and Kagami…

_She called me weird, _Misao thought sadly. _She doesn't love me at all! But Kona-chan, she just adores __**her. **_Misao bit her lip as a few tears welled in her eyes. She ran off, straight past Ayano, and into the bathroom. Before she entered, of course, she ate the meatball, stuffing it into her mouth, and retreated.

The last bell of the day rang and the rain had just begun to fall. The clouds had begun in math class, swirling a bit as they collected and grew heavy until finally, they decided to pour. "Such a gloomy end to the day," Misao groaned. She hadn't admitted to Ayano what had happened at lunch and how she felt, but she had to portray happiness for her best friend. "And we got homework, too."

"Will you do it today?" Ayano asked pleasantly. "If you want, I can call after dinner to help you."

"Sure, if you're gonna give me some help!" Misao winked, her smile so big you could see her fang clearly.

They walked out of the school together quietly, Misao still sadly thinking about Kagami, Ayano daydreaming as usual. "Are you sure you're okay?" Ayano asked very quietly.

"Hmm?" Misao asked, pretending to not hear her well. "I'm sort of hungry."

Ayano gave her a small smile. "Goodbye, Misa-chan," Ayano replied with a wave. She head off to the train station. Misao sighed once she disappeared in the collecting fog. She began the steady walk home—though it would be far, she couldn't afford any more train tickets. She checked both sides of the street before crossing and was walking across with slumped shoulders. She heard the squeal of loud screeching tires and looked up abruptly.

"HE—"

Misao, mid scream, was flung across the road and whacked into the light post on the corner of the street. The man in the car got out and ran over to help her and called an ambulance, but all Misao saw was a man come to her and everything went pitch black…


	2. Given Back but Broken

Hello again, it's Hollow28. Here's the second chapter of my first fanfiction! Thanks for the comments and I hope you enjoy! Please review if you'd like some more or if you have ideas! Thanks Hopeblossom for telling me it'd be easier to read with a line here so…pass the line and there's the chappie. ;3

Edit: Here's the chapter rewritten, I redid some scenes and fixed names. Thanks StaminaRose for pointing that out, so enjoy the edited version!

* * *

Tsukasa grinned, for it was finally the weekend and they could have two full days of rest. Not full days, of course, because they still had homework, but it was rest all the same. Tsukasa was in the kitchen, preparing the tea when her sister, Matsuri, opened the door and greeted her. "Tsu-chan," the brown haired girl said, "Will you cook tonight?"

"Maybe," Tsukasa replied with a small smile. "Do you like my cooking, Onee-chan?"

"It's better than mom's food," Matsuri nodded. "Anyway, I have homework." She made a face and walked away. Tsukasa put the cups on the tray and walked up the stairs. She could hear her sister talking, most likely on the cell phone.

"What-?" Kagami practically screamed into the phone.

"I'm sure it was just an accident, nothing else," Ayano whimpered.

"Onee-chan, I have your green tea…" Tsukasa began, climbing the stairs and carefully trying to balance the tray which the two cups of tea sat. Kagami sat down on her knees in the center of her bedroom, a box of pocky opened beside her, homework on her desk. Tsukasa smiled to see her sister on the phone, but she had no idea what Kagami was talking about.

"Kusakabe was in an accident," Kagami whispered, voice strained as she tried to remain calm.

Tsukasa's eyes grew wide. She sat down beside her sister, handing her a cup of tea and removing the other off the tray for herself. All the years in her sister's bedroom, she never figured that, with all of the beautiful bright colors, there would never be any sorrow there. But in Kagami's bedroom, with Ayano's phone call, it was as if those colors became unhappy, as if no happiness was there.

"Will she make it?" Kagami asked into the receiver. She sipped her tea slowly. Her lip quivered. Somehow, Tsukasa figured the answer was a no with Kagami's reaction.

"I'm sorry, I have to go…will I see you at the hospital?" Ayano replied.

"Of course," Kagami reassured her. She nodded, too, but only Tsukasa saw that action. "Goodbye, Minegishi-chan, I'll call the others."

"Sis, what happened?" Tsukasa asked in her meek voice. She took the two cups and set them on the desk to give her twin a large hug.

Kagami struggled to fight the tears, though Tsukasa was already crying. "Minegishi said she wouldn't make it. Kusakabe's going to die."

"No, no, no!" Tsukasa murmured. "We have to go to the hospital immediately."

"I'll call Kona-chan," Kagami agreed. "You get mom, tell her what happened." A tear slid down her cheek. "If we want to be with Kusakabe, we have to act fast."

* * *

"She's in here," the doctor said. He had thick glasses, a pristine doctor's coat, and scrubs under that. His nametag read a long name which, to Konata, looked fuzzy. That may have just been her tears clouding her vision, but she didn't feel like reading anyway.

"Kona-chan…" Yutaka began, her small voice wavering. "I don't want to see her like this."

"It'll be okay," Minami reassured her, putting her arm around her shoulder. "I'll be with you, Yutaka-chan."

Yutaka's small face brightened a bit. Miyuki, Yutaka, Minami, and Konata went towards the door they had been pointed to, the diagram posters of parts of the body were shiny and laminated. Miyuki held some flowers and Konata had some food, Misao's favorite, with an extra meatball. Minami blinked hard and reached out to open the door but hesitated. She clapped her hand around the knob and twisted it, opening the door just a crack.

"There you four are," Kagami said. She held one of Misao's hands, which looked battered, and Ayano held the other. Tsukasa was crying and sitting in one of the beige plush chairs in the left corner.

"Misao," Miyuki cooed, "Can you tell us what happened?"

She opened her mouth and croaked but she couldn't talk. The door flung open and Patty rushed in along with Hiyori and Misao's parents. Hiyori dropped her sketching pencil and ran back out of the room. "Misao-chan!" she bawled, something clearly heard through the door.

"Ayano," Misao croaked. "I…want…to talk to her…alone."

Everyone staggered away slowly out of the room, leaving Ayano with Misao. Misao looked bruised and thoroughly hurt, bandages around her chest and arms. "Misao, I—"

"Sh, let me talk," Misao whispered. "I should have not ever let Kagami get to me when you were right here, all the time."

Ayano's face was a bit down. The room was silent as Misao caught some of her breath. Ayano sighed sadly and thought, _It must hurt to talk like this, especially now._ Her heart began to beat slowly, as if she was in slow motion.

Misao coughed and continued, "I wanted to tell you that I really…really like you, Aya-chan."

Ayano blinked, slightly surprised. She wasn't sure what to say. "Misa-chan, what are you…?"

"I think you know," Misao chuckled softly. Her voice was hoarse. "I wanted to tell you my feelings before I—" she coughed again.

"Misa-chan," Ayano sighed, pulling hair out of her face. "I don't know what to say."

Misao laughed softly again. The door opened, showing the doctor, who said, "Visiting hours are over."

"Goodbye, Misa-chan," Ayano whimpered. A few tears had begun to run down her cheeks before, but now she was crying hard. "I'll miss you."

* * *

Ayano lay flat on her bed. Her eyes were ringed with black. Nothing had been heard from the hospital, so Misao was either alive or worse. Misao had punctured her lung, the doctor had told them, and Ayano hadn't been to school since. It had been a full week. She didn't want to lift her head. She didn't want to know how everyone else was doing. For once, she didn't care.

"Ayano, are you okay?" Ayano's mother called through the door. "Do you still feel sick?"

Ayano feigned loud coughing and rasped, "May I have some water, mother?"

"Sure, I'll go get you some. A few of your friends are here to check if you're okay."

Ayano had barely told anything about the car crash to her parents, just that her child hood friend was hurt and she had got sick. "Okay…let them in please."

There was the sound of footsteps going down the stairs and muffled dialogue. Ayano checked her cell phone. There were five missed calls, two from Kagami, one from Minami, one from Konata, and the last was from Patty.

"Hey Minegishi," Kagami began. In the dimming light, there was the flash of three silhouettes. Then a cloud covered the sun.

Ayano blew her nose, flattened the frizz of her hair, and dried her eyes with a tissue. "Come in," Ayano called. She didn't know who else was with Kagami, but she could guess that the smaller shadow belonged to Konata.

"We tried to call you to tell you the news, but you didn't answer," Kagami whispered.

Ayano fought to cry. She didn't want to hear what was coming. Kagami opened the door big enough for one person to come in at a time. Ayano was right about Konata. She came in right behind Kagami. Then the last person entered. She smiled and a few tears spilled down her cheeks. "Misa-chan! How did you—"

"She can't talk anymore," Kagami spoke. "Her lung hurts every time she speaks, but the doctor said if she hadn't talked at all in the hospital, then she could still talk a bit better. Now she can only utter a few things."

_So that means it's all my fault she lost her voice…She was admitting her true feelings to me in the hospital, _Ayano realized. She whimpered and gave Misao a soft hug. In a low tone she said, "I missed you so much."

Misao was paler; her eyes even had a softer touch. Misao had once said she had to have her hair trimmed a certain way to keep it short and spiky. It was obvious that hadn't been done, for now her hair was to the middle of her neck, soft and almost curly. Misao nodded as if to say, 'me too.' Ayano's heart sunk. She would never hear her loud and bubbly voice call out about meatballs ever again. Well, it would be very quietly said.

"Misao-chan's parents are downstairs," Konata said. "We told them we should go down here to show you if you wouldn't pick up your phone."

"Thank you," Ayano told her. "This is much better, getting to see her alive and well." Her polite mind had returned. It couldn't be helped. "Where's Hiiragi-san?"

"She got a fever, and we didn't want you to be so close to recovering from your current cold," Kagami explained. "But she wanted me to tell you she misses you at school."

"Why was she at school with a cold?" Ayano asked.

"She wasn't," Kagami replied. "She caught it yesterday morning."

"Oh," Ayano sighed. "I guess you've been lonely in class."

"Everyone's been acting awkward," Konata confirmed. "Even in our own class."

"I'm feeling better, I think I'll go to school tomorrow," Ayano nodded. "Will I see you?"

Konata and Kagami nodded as well and said good bye, Misao waving and gave a big enough grin to show her fang. Ayano's mother said goodbye to the girls and came into the room. "Here's your water, Ayano. Do you think you want to go to school if you're feeling better?"

"Yeah, I think I came over that cold."

* * *

Sakuraba smiled brightly when she saw Ayano and greeted, "Hello, Minegishi-san, have you recovered from your illness?"

Ayano smiled back and answered, "Yes, Senpai."

"Who's the new student?" Sakuraba asked, head cocked as she quizzically watched the quiet brown haired girl with golden eyes.

"That's Misa-chan, Senpai," Ayano said under her breath. "You heard about the accident, correct?"

"Oh, I see! Yes, of course I heard. Good morning, Kusakabe-san," Sakuraba said with a wary chuckle. "Please be seated both of you. It's good to have you back."

Misao bowed and clenched her eyes shut before hurrying to her seat. Ayano followed suit and exhaled sharply. "She didn't notice you, Misa-chan," Ayano relayed.

Misao frowned and wrote onto a scrap of paper, 'I thought this might happen…'

"Who's the cute new kid?" a boy asked, one that had always been mean to Misao before. His name was Hino-kun. Hino Kortabé. He was a foreign exchange student, so it was a bit hard to pronounce his name, but Ayano felt as if she still had to correct his mistake.

"Kortabé-san, this is—" Ayano was cut off as she looked at another piece of paper slid onto her desk.

'Don't worry about it. Let me handle this.'

"Misa-chan, how can you handle it without words?" she whispered urgently.

She scrawled onto the paper, 'I'm Misao-san, moron!' Then she threw it in his face and stuck her tongue out at him. _This will be a very hard day, _Misao thought. She put her forehead in her palm, elbow on the desk, and sighed sharply as Hino looked at the paper and to her again before guffawing. He shook his head.

"No way, this can't be stupid Kusakabe-san," Hino snorted.

Misao's eyes narrowed. She stood abruptly but Ayano held her back, unable to stop Kagami, who was now very frustrated. Kagami overheard and her face paled with anger. "Did I just hear you call my friend who just got out of the _hospital _stupid?"

Hino backed up into a desk. "N-no I didn't mean—"

"How about next time you think who's sitting right there when you call them something?" she exclaimed.

"Well…"

"Shut up!" she roared. "Sometimes I wish I really **was **M*ku Hats*ne!"

"Why, Hiiragi-san?" Ayano asked quietly.

"So I could hit people in the back of the head with a leek. And I can't believe I just made that reference," Kagami groaned. She sat down and Misao's eyes were still angrily glaring at him.

Hino looked at the ground and sat down, a burning anger in his eyes.

* * *

Ayano, Kagami, and Misao strolled into the class together and sat at the usual cluster of tables set out for them for lunch. Ayano carried Misao's bento for her as she gawked at passing kid's lunches, then they sat down all together and began to eat.

"Oh, Minegishi-san, Kusakabe-san, it's good to see you eating with us today. I'm glad you've recovered enough to come to school Kusakabe-san, and you're hair looks astonishing," Miyuki greeted, giving compliments like candy, as usual.

"Kagamin! I want your second rice ball," Konata smirked.

"What, all of a sudden you get to eat my food?" Kagami asked, voice almost monotone.

"Well I thought that's what cou—" Konata was beginning to say, but Kagami slapped her hand over her mouth.

"If you think I triggered flags because I'm tsundere, don't even say anything," she spat, pretending nothing had happened. Kagami still gave her the second rice ball and told Tsukasa that the food was very good.

"I've decided to dump my boyfriend. Later on this evening actually," Ayano announced after some silence. She picked up a piece of sesame covered meat in soy sauce with her chopsticks and bit into it. The others just stared at her.

"Ayano-san, why are you doing that?" Tsukasa asked, slightly shocked.

"Perhaps she has her eye on someone else," Miyuki offered. "Or he was moving too fast for Minegishi-san's tastes. I've heard that, in truth, more men break up with their girlfriends because they are willing to move way too fast than the other likes. But it's not all that uncommon for a girl to break up with a boy for the same reasons."

"Actually," Ayano said quietly, "I've got my eye on someone else."

"I didn't know you were that kind of person!" Konata gasped, amazed. "I guess everyone's changing as the year enters the summer! Ayano-chan likes other men while dating another, Minami-chan plays video games…"

"You never know when to stop," Kagami sighed, putting her head onto the table, sliding her empty bento away.

"Looks like you don't know when to stop snacking either, Kagamin," Konata joked, listening as Kagami's stomach growled.

Kagami gave her a glare but put her head on the table again. A piece of paper poked her on the arm. She looked up and noticed Misao handing her a note.

'What's wrong, Hiiragi-chan?'

"I'm fine, just a headache," Kagami replied. Misao smiled comfortingly. She patted her arm and then wrote something on the paper again.

'Hey, Hiiragi-chan. If you don't want the rest of your rice, can _I _have it?'

Kagami laughed again and looked into her bento. "There's barley any left!"

Misao shrugged and tipped some into her own bento and was about to eat before Hino burst into the room.

"There she is," Hino said, interrupting their small conversations. "The stupid girl who doesn't even know how to talk anymore."

Hino was surrounded by at least five other kids who, after Hino's remark, burst into laughter and agreed. One of them, with cropped black hair snorted and added, "Her brain must've melted in the hospital or something! Sakuraba Sensei said she was hit by a car. I'd never be stupid enough to get hit by a car." More cruel laughter.

"Lay off, Kortabé-san," Kagami hissed. "You're just mad because I told you to shut up earlier."

Miyuki cleaned off her glasses and went over to try and talk to the boys calmly, saying small words like "Please, let's not fight." The boys just pushed her away, causing her to trip and almost fall backwards.

"Yuki-chan!" Tsukasa cried, hurrying to catch her. "What's wrong with you boys?" she asked Hino and his friends.

Miyuki's face was bright red as she opened her eyes. "Oh, thank you, Hiiragi-san. You caught me before I hit my head." Her face was even redder once she noticed some kids looking at her. _Oh no! I hope they didn't see anything up my skirt, _she thought, scared, and her eyes almost went blank.

"It's okay," Tsukasa replied softly. "We need to help Misao-chan right now, though." Tsukasa helped her up and then tried to push the crowding kids away from helpless Misao.

"Leave her alone," Konata defended. "Misao-chan did nothing to you guys."

Hino and his friends laughed again, calling out their last mean retorts, and Hino cried out, "I'll see you later, Miso. Be ready next time, moron!"

Ayano sighed. "Thank goodness their gone. I'll walk you to the train station, I don't want you to get hurt," Ayano told her.

'I don't have money for a ticket,' Misao wrote. Then she tugged on Ayano's sleeve and whispered into her ear very softly, "And why did he call me soup?"

Ayano chuckled, though her surprise of Misao's voice was obvious. "Don't worry Misa-chan," she told Misao. "I'll buy you a ticket. I don't want you to get hurt."

The other girls nodded, standing proudly as the boys cleared out of the room, and the bell rang.

* * *

(I hope that clears some of the confusion! Please review if you think this is better or if more needs to be changed.)


	3. The Slow Days That Come

Hollow28 here again! Um…thanks for the reviews and I hope you like the third chapter! I sort of want this to be where I get some ideas from what my readers think would be a good idea or a nice twist, so please tell me anything. Thanks and enjoy!

Edit: Oh yes, and if there's any error in the names or suffixes wrong (-san, -chan, -dono, -sama, -kun, etc.) please tell me. I put flashbacks in bold, thoughts in italics. I own nothing! If I did, Lucky Star would be a very different show…

* * *

"Onee-chan," Tsukasa said, now out of her school uniform and in casual clothes

Immediately all three of her sisters answered with a, "Yes?"

Inori brushed a piece of plum colored hair from her face, Matsuri blinking expectantly. Kagami looked up from her light novel and marked her page, flipping a corner down. Tsukasa giggled, as if to say, 'my bad!'

"Oh, I meant Kagami-neechan," Tsukasa laughed, opening a box of pocky. They all sat in their living room, awaiting the game show. That afternoon their parents would be away, leaving Inori in charge. Matsuri made it clear she wasn't happy with the arrangement.

"Sheesh, Tsu-chan," Matsuri sighed, turning her eyes back to the TV screen. Inori just smiled, forgiving her mistake, and returned watching as well.

"What's wrong, Tsukasa?" Kagami asked.

"Wasn't it weird how all of those boys suddenly came to pick on Kusakabe-san?" Tsukasa asked in reply.

Kagami shrugged, blinking a few times. "They thought she was stupid because it hurts to talk that much," Kagami explained. In a rugged, angrier tone she added, "If they would actually care to hear what happened, no one would have to deal with boys like him!"

Tsukasa smiled and nodded. "Yeah, like if there weren't any boys like him to deal with, it'd be a lot easier to make friends with guys."

Kagami sighed. "You mean to say it'd be easier to find boyfriends?" Under her breath she added, "I wish." Kagami found herself lightly blushing and she shook her head fiercely.

"Onee-chan, do you like someone?" Tsukasa asked cheerfully.

The loud ringing of Kagami's cell phone in her pocket saved her. She looked at it, realized it was Konata, and answered. "Hello? Konata?"

"Kagamin," Konata said. "I was wondering if you wanted to come over! We have the kotatsu out and everything."

On Konata's end of the receiver, there was Yutaka's urgent cry for help from Konata's dad. To Kagami, she thought she heard Yutaka say, "Kyah! Get down from the chair! Help!"

"What's going on?" Kagami asked.

"Oh, cousin Yui's drunk again, don't worry. What do you say? Wanna come over?"

"The words drunk and don't worry should never be put together like that," Kagami groaned.

"Hey, Onee-chan, is that Kona-chan? Tell her I said hi…" Tsukasa said.

"Oh yeah," Konata continued. "What are the answers for the homework?"

Kagami excused herself and went to her room. "What question are you on?" She flipped open her text book and tapped her pencil on her desk.

"Let's see," Konata said, drawing out the word 'see.'

"I'm not drunk I'm jusht flattered!" a drunken voice sang.

"O-over what?" Yutaka asked. "Please get down from the chair! I'll make you some tea and everything."

"I'm flattered becaushe the chair and I are getting married!"

"Question one," Konata answered flatly.

Kagami groaned. "Fine, let's get started. On the first one you have to multiply X and Y together to get the answer, A. Okay?"

"Okay," Konata yawned. "So I multiply…what again?"

Kagami almost face palmed before realizing the affect wouldn't be needed over the phone. "X and Y, Konata."

"Oh," Konata said, faking her understanding confidence. "That gives us…"

"You forgot the second step. Before you multiply, you have to know what X is. So you have to take 3.14, or just 3, and multiply it by six. Then you multiply the answer of X times 80 to get the answer for Y," Kagami pointed out.

"Uh," Konata uttered. "Six times three, six times three… lemme get my calculator Kagamin. Call you back." Then Konata quickly disconnected the call and rummaged around for her calculator.

* * *

"I'm glad I could help," Ayano said, flustered that Misao was still trying to walk home alone. "Here, the ticket."

Misao took the ticket and shrugged. It was quiet at the station. Kids were getting ready for the train, a few adults doing the same or checking the time on their wrist watches. In the winter, it was not usual for it to be that quiet, but once you adjusted to the summer's bustling people and cicadas it seemed weird having to adjust to almost silent days. _It'll be the same once spring and summer comes around, _Ayano thought.

Misao thought she smelled something good. It was almost as good as meatballs, but she thought it might have just been her imagination. Misao's stomach growled. She stiffened, as if to show the world that the loud grumble was not her own. When Ayano looked up at her, puzzled, Misao gave her an awkward smile. _That really wasn't me! _Misao desperately wanted to say, but instead she just shrugged and gave a tiny laugh.

"Oh, there's the train. I'll see you tomorrow! Remember, Misa-chan, do your homework okay? Text me if you need help," Ayano said. Misao nodded and ran to the train. Ayano had to wait for a while longer. She had to; she knew her boyfriend would come. _Today is the day I will break up with him. No matter how much I like him, I have to lose some to gain. _

Misao quickly got onto the train. She gave a light hearted smile, ignoring the other kids on the train who were bundled up. Misao didn't need that much on, and she was glad. Still something bugged her though. She wanted to ignore it, but there was no deny that the reason Ayano remained at the station was that she could break up with her boyfriend. _I wonder who she likes? When I admitted my feelings for her, it cost my loud voice but I at least told her. Why didn't she say anything back? Was it because of that mystery person, the one she's costing her current boyfriend for now? _Misao's many questions ran through her mind, but all she could do was stare out the window and wait for her stop.

Ayano tightened her jacket around her chest. She lifted her right leg and then stomped it back on the ground. Immediately it was shot with a thousand small tingles as it woke up. Uneager, she lifted the left leg and did the same. Her eyes slightly widened and she gasped; the random tingling was spreading through her knees. Her breath was a puff of white and her hair was beginning to frizz a bit. Her long sleeved uniform did nothing to stop the wind carrying through the station to make her arms prickle with bumps. "Where is he?" she asked softly. The next train to her home was arriving in fifteen minutes. If he didn't show up before then, she would have to leave in order to finish her homework in time and eat dinner.

Misao got her things closer together and stood up, holding the pole as the train slowed to a stop. She made it off the train with ease and hurried to her home. She ran down the many streets until she reached the door of her house, the Kusakabe dwelling, and opened the door. She had to close it loudly so her parents would know she was home. "There you are, Misao. Did Ayano buy you a train ticket today?" Misao nodded and gave a light smile. "How was school today?" Misao nodded again. That was all she could do.

_This gets kinda tiring, _Misao thought. She yawned and went up to her room. _Maybe something's good on TV? At least it doesn't ask me questions. Or even better… maybe Okaa-san's gonna make extra meatballs!_

**"Remember, Misa-chan, do your homework okay? Text me if you need any help," Ayano said.**

_Dang it, homework! Kyah, I don't want to make Aya-chan unhappy…_ Misao let out a sad sigh and opened her bedroom door, ready to put pencil to paper. _I really want to watch that show Squirt told me about though; she said Hiiragi-chan liked it. What was it called again? _Misao sat down on her bed, which wasn't made up from that morning, and pounded her fists into the pillow, as if it would help her memory.

_I know! I'll text Hiiragi for the title! I'm sure she'll gimme some answers to the homework while she's at it._ Misao rummaged her things for her phone but couldn't find it, began to search the sheets urgently, and gave up. She wanted, no, needed, to say something out loud angrily, but she just made a weird squeak sound and her chest hurt. Misao fell back to her bed. She wouldn't be able to finish her homework without her phone! She remembered it had been gone the three days out of the hospital. She hadn't needed it much—the first day back she mainly just slept, the second she went to Ayano's house and then went back and slept, and the third day (that day) she went to school. School wasn't a place for phones! _Where is it then? _She asked, growling quietly.

Misao stomped loudly down the steps so people wouldn't be frightened if she just popped up beside them. She had a pencil and a pad of paper under her arm, her stomach growling since she left the station. When she approached her mom, she tugged on her sleeve and wrote, 'Where's my phone? Where'd my bear pencil go? What happened to some of my notebooks?'

Her mom stammered a bit and shyly told her, "I'll go get your phone, Misao." She then disappeared, going towards the closet it seemed, and Misao heard the sound of an opening cardboard box. Misao was confused, then realized the awkward situation.

_They thought I was going to die, _she realized, _so they started to pack up some of my things? Why didn't they tell me? _

Something in the back of her mind said, "Because you were sleeping so much, smart one!" but she held her confused face strong. She quickly wrote something on the pad, ready for her mom, and awaited her return.

"Here you go," her mom said, chipper. "Your phone. It's old, though. Do you want a new one?"

Misao shook her head and handed her the pad.

"What do you—" Her mother began, but her words stopped on her tongue. "No, of course we didn't think you were going to die," she lied, eyes suddenly looking around the room and not at Misao. "We knew you would pull through somehow. A-anyway, dinner will be ready soon. Why don't you go back to your room?"

* * *

"Hey, Kagamin," Konata said after washing down the remains of her choco cornet with a splash of milk. "Let's play the Who-Would-Be-What-Animal Game!"

"Why?" Kagami asked, eyes dull.

"Well, when we played it last time, I said you were a bunny but now you've changed. Sometimes I even see you with only one pigtail! And it falls in the middle of your back!" Konata accused, Misao chuckling.

Ayano smiled. It was the second day of eating lunch with the others and, though she didn't know what the game was even about, she wanted to play. "Sure," she replied. "It sounds like fun. How do we play this game?"

"Simple! Let me give an example…" Konata roamed her mind for an easy example. "Misao-chan would be a hyper animal, right? So I think she'd be a… a…"

"Tasmanian Devil?" Tsukasa offered. "They're so cute and they're shiny brown hair seems to match Kusakabe-san's very well."

Konata squealed with delight and Misao pumped a fist in the air, as if excitedly accepting the personality. Kagami put her face into her open palm. "Tsu-chan, where'd you hear about Tasmanian Devils?" she asked.

"Ah," Tsukasa said with a smile. "I heard it from Miyuki-san in history. Remember? We learned about Tasmania a little. Well, she told us about it."

"I thought you slept through history, Hiiragi-san," Miyuki piped up. "I wasn't sure if you heard me tell Izumi-san."

Tsukasa blushed. "Well, I did through half of it, woke up, and heard you explain about them to Kona-chan when she said it was in one of her animes…"

"Tazzy-chan, Tazzy-chan!" Konata teased, calling Misao her new nickname. "Misao-chan is Tazzy-chan."

Misao laughed and slid a piece of paper to her, something clearly scribbled down.

'Squirt, what can I call you? Y'know… other than Squirt?'

"Fox-chan," Konata replied. "You can call me Fox-chan now." Her deep green eyes glimmered, as if she had just gained Misao's better friendship.

"I thought you were a fox last time," Kagami pointed out. "How come you stayed the same?"

"I still cram before tests, right, Waifu?" Konata asked.

"Yeah…"

"So I haven't changed," Konata replied, as if to say that made sense. "You've changed though, Kagamin. You should be a pig."

Kagami gave her a glare and exclaimed, "What are you trying to say!"

"No, no, no," Tsukasa told her. "Onee-chan, she's got a point. It's all your nose."

Kagami blushed furiously. "W-w-what's with m-my nose?"

"It's cute and round," Konata said, giving a cat-like grin and poking at Kagami's nose.

Kagami swatted her hand away. "I could be a horse!" she argued. "Don't they have pony tails that look like mine? Don't they have snouts? Can't they run fast?"

Everyone but Ayano and Miyuki, who were trying to remain polite, burst into laughter. "Sorry, Onee-chan, but did I hear you wrong?"

"What are you talking about this time?" Kagami asked, irritation creeping into her voice.

"Kagamin, you can't run fast!" Konata laughed. Misao shook her head, laughing as well, and the three held their sides.

"Anyway," Kagami said loudly, hoping that they would stop, "I have to ask you something."

After some, to Kagami, irritating moments of calming down, they stopped, sometimes still trembling a bit with laughter they tried to hide.

Kagami's brow furrowed and she said, "We already have one foreign exchange student in our class causing trouble, but we heard a foreigner was coming into one of the classes at our school."

"Ah, I suppose you mean Kortabé-san?" Ayano asked, pulling away a strand of hair from her face. Kagami wondered if her boyfriend break up went well the night before.

"Yeah," Kagami nodded. "I hope he doesn't give Kusakabe anymore trouble," she groaned.

"Hmm," Konata said. "Tsukasa-chan, Miwiki-san, would you want to meet a foreigner from France?"

"Eh? Well…it sounds interesting I suppose," they replied in perfect sync.

"Sure," Tsukasa said. "Why, Kona-chan?"

"It sounds like a delight. Why do you ask?" Miyuki asked in her turn.

"No reason."

_She's just wasting time now, _Kagami thought a bit angrily. She didn't seem to want to fuss at her, for once though, but smiled at the way she looked when she replied. She looked so cute… _What am I thinking? _Kagami asked herself, cheeks red.

"Oh, there's the bell Onee-chan," Tsukasa said. "See you after class."

* * *

Hino Kortabé sat down, grumbling, and opened his text book. _Yuck, I can't believe I'm stuck sitting behind Miso. She's disgusting. She should just be dead already, _he thought angrily, though he wasn't sure why he was so mad at her. For some reason he hated her guts, though he had no idea what made that happen. He even hated Kyo, the name that his friends invented for Kagami. It meant mirror as well, but it also meant evil. That seemed to fit Kagami Hiiragi.

"Kyo-san," Hino said to Kagami, eyes dark with hate.

Kagami ignored his call and continued taking notes.

"Kyo-san," he repeated. He had a wonderfully ugly trick for her. When Misao sent him a note to shut up or she'd punch him for bothering Hiiragi, he stopped but it didn't mean he stopped thinking about the trick he was going to pull. If he could pull apart her group of friends, he'd feel much better about himself. If only that could happen as easy as it was said. "Whatever Kyo," he mumbled, then waited the next class with baited breath.

_I'll write a letter to her, _he thought. _From someone she knows. I'll make it seem like she did something. That'll get 'em apart. No, I'll talk to her bluenette otaku friend in Nanako's class. _Not used to the suffixes, he'd rather just call Kagami 'Kyo' instead of everything but. He tapped his pencil on the desk, frizzy hair lying flatter than usual. _I'll get them good. I just know it. _

"Kortabé-san? Kortabé-san?" Sakuraba was asking. Hino looked up.

"Yes, Senpai?" he asked.

"Answer this equation," she replied, tapping her hand on the board below a neatly scrawled math problem. "Can you tell me the answer?"

Hino mumbled the answer from his homework page and then resumed to plan. It was one of his best plans yet and that wasn't something easily said. His head was full of ideas. Mean and twisted ones, albeit, but ideas nonetheless.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed! ~Hollow


	4. Sleepovers, emails, and punches thrown

Thanks for all the great reviews everyone! I'm glad you like the story. If you have any ideas for the story—something you'd like to see, what you want to happen between pairings, anything—please tell me! Enjoy! Also, I'm sorry if you hate Hino (I do too) but I couldn't allow the girls to all turn on one another, no matter how I tried.

-Hollow

* * *

"Homework again," Konata sighed, sitting down at her desk. "I should call Kagamin… maybe she'd like to come over? Ah, but my phone's dead…" Throwing her homework over to her bed, she booted up the computer and began to start her MMORPG.

KONAKONA: Sensei, sensei! I have a question about the homework. =w=.

NANAKON: Eh? You want to ask me about homework! You're doing it yourself!

KONAKONA: Iiya, my phone died. I couldn't call Miwiki-san or Kagamin! =w=.

NANAKON: I should have known…ah well, what question are you on?

KONAKONA: *looks at homework* uh, question one. =w=.

NANAKON: Kah, Konata, can't you even multiply a simple problem?

KONAKONA: Nah, it's not that simple if you think about it.

NANAKON: _Are _you thinking about it?

KONAKONA: ^_^ " n-not really, Sensei.

**TSUKASA is online**

KONAKONA: Tsu-chan, are you done with your homework? =w=.

TSUKASA: No, my phone died so I couldn't call Miyuki and I didn't want to disturb Onee-chan…I came to ask Sensei about it.

NANAKON: =3=

**NANAKON is offline**

KONAKONA: baaw, she got offline. =w=.

TSUKASA: well, I better go get Onee-chan. Why don't you come over? We can start a study session!

KONAKONA: 'Kay. Why don't you get Kagamin to call Miwiki-san, Tazzy-chan, and Ayano-chan over too? =w=.

TSUKASA: *nods happily* mmm!

**TSUKASA is offline**

**KONAKONA is offline**

* * *

"Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked, going into Kagami's room. "Onee-chan?"

"Yes, Tsu-chan?" Kagami answered, putting down her pencil on top of her homework. She was already half way through.

"I invited Kona-chan over," she explained, "so we could have a study group. Can we invite Tazzy-san, Ayano-san, and Miyuki-san over too?"

"Sure," Kagami replied. "I'll call Miyu—"

"Can I call her?" Tsukasa cut in. Kagami shrugged and handed her her cell phone. When Tsukasa left, she returned to her homework. Tsukasa blushed as she began to quickly dial in the number she had remembered.

"Hiiragi-san?" Miyuki asked. Tsukasa felt suddenly light headed. She could see the peach headed girl, blinking brightly behind glasses.

"Ah, hello, Miyuki-san," Tsukasa replied into the receiver.

"Oh, Tsukasa Hiiragi-san," Miyuki said, voice a bit happier. Tsukasa just thought it was her imagination.

"M-Miyuki-san, would you like to come over and have a study group with Kona-chan, Onee-chan, and I?" Tsukasa asked. She was on her stomach now, one arm wrapped around the pillow of her bed and her socked feet pressing against the foot board.

"You want me to come?" she asked, voice almost a whisper. "I'd love to."

"I'll see you," Tsukasa smiled. Her heart was thumping fast.

"I'll see you…"

There was sudden dial-tone. Then, after listening to the dial-tone for a few minutes, she heard a knock come. Then she heard Kagami's footsteps as she rushed to get the door, the sound of Konata's cheerful voice drifting upwards, and Kagami saying something in reply. Tsukasa's closed door muffled the conversation but she got the gist of it—Konata was obviously poking fun at Kagami's weight and Kagami was telling her off.

An hour later, the others arrived un-simultaneously and they began their studies. Kagami provided many of the snacks for the invited over friends, made tea, and then resumed to lend answers to Misao, Konata, and Tsukasa.

Kagami stretched and stuck another pocky stick into her mouth and said, "I'm going to check my mail, okay? I'll be right back."

"Kagamin—!"

"Yeah, look at my homework; I don't care what you do." Kagami replied, standing.

Konata gave her a sly smirk and said, "Oh really?"

Kagami just groaned and left her sister's room, entering her own and booting up the computer. She waited as it loaded, loaded, and came to her desktop. She clicked the icon for the internet and it brought her to the 'email login' screen.

"Ne, Kagamin? What's your email username? I don't have it yet! Is it… something a bit like…'QueenofKagamean'?" Konata asked, coming into her room a bit.

"No!" Kagami growled.

"No?"

"No, of course not!"

"Well, is it 'KagaKonaisCanon?'" Konata guessed with a smirk.

"No! Get out of here!" Kagami replied angrily, pushing Konata back into the hallway.

"How about…" Konata pulled her face up to Kagami's, so close it made Kagami blush uncontrollably. '...JelloFatKagami'?"

Kagami angrily closed the door and returned to checking her emails, the sound of Konata's laughter heard through the door. _Gah, she's such a pain…_ Kagami thought, signing in. She had two new messages, one was spam, and the other was from someone she didn't know. It concerned her class, though, or that's what it said, so she opened it up and began to read.

'Kyo I knew u would read this. U r addicted to the internets huh especially ur email huh? Well I have something to tell to u.'

Kagami stopped reading to ponder the part she had read. "This kid can't spell at all," she sighed. "Why are they calling me Kyo though? Maybe they sent it to the wrong person…"

'Go to the park tamarrow after scool ok? I will confes my feelings there. C u then? Bye.'

Kagami was surprised at first, when reading the end. She guessed the kid was a he, since he said he had feelings for her, and if it was a girl she would go anyway and tell her she got the wrong email. A faint rosy tinge lit up her face. She responded quickly,

'I'll see you there tomorrow. Bye.'

Then she hit the red x and turned off the computer.

* * *

"Welcome back, Onee-chan," Tsukasa greeted. Her homework was almost done, though with the answers there she wondered why she hadn't finished.

"Tsu-chan, why didn't you finish?" she decided to ask, sitting down at her sister's side.

"It was hard to read it upside down because Konata was busy with it," Tsukasa laughed in her meek tone. Konata, same expression as usual, was across from Tsukasa, the homework in front of her. Kagami peeked over her shoulder to look at it and it had been defaced with stick men doodles.

"Konata!" Kagami growled loudly.

"Sh," Ayano said, index finger to her lips. Misao was asleep, head in Ayano's lap. Misao's even breathing had hypnotized Miyuki, allowing her to blank out on the rest of them. "I think I'll take her home. Sumimasen, I'll be leaving now."

Ayano attempted to move, at least to stretch out her legs, but Misao murmured something quietly and wrapped her arms around her waist. Kagami was about to strangle the otaku when a smile grew on her face.

"Why don't you two stay over here tonight?" Tsukasa offered. "I'll bring out the extra mattress for you two to share. I'm sorry; you'll kind of have to…sleep together."

Konata guffawed, doubling over with laughter. Kagami swatted her and said, "Shush, Squirt!"

"Well, it looks like I'll be staying the night here, too," Konata invited herself.

"But we have school tomorrow…" Ayano declined.

"We're in our uniforms—why not?" Kagami asked. "You can borrow some of our older pajamas if you want."

"Miyuki-san, you can stay over too," Tsukasa grinned, poking the space cadet.

"M-may I?" she asked, breaking into reality. "I wouldn't want to intrude…"

"No, it's fine," Kagami insisted. "Our parents gave us permission earlier for you guys to stay the night if you want. We can hang up your uniforms in my closet and get them in the morning."

"I think it'll be obvious to see which uniform is Miwiki-san's, since she has the biggest—!"

Kagami slapped her hand over Konata's mouth and told her to not say things like that so loudly. Konata pulled out her cell phone, squeezing herself closer to Kagami, and yanking Kagami's hand down so it wrapped around her small waist.

_Snap!_

"What was that for?" Kagami exclaimed.

"My waifu is hugging me! Joy! Joy!" Konata squealed, wrapping herself tighter into Kagami's faux embrace, almost tipping her backwards. "Waifu, I thinks we should share a mattress too just to be safe."

"Get off!" Kagami objected, pushing her away. Tsukasa laughed and allowed Miyuki to call her mom to make sure she could stay. The phones were passed around, all getting permission to stay. Kagami and Tsukasa got out the two extra mattresses, one for Ayano and Misao, the other for Miyuki and Konata. Exhausted from earlier, the girls crawled into their beds and decided to go to sleep early, and the lights in the bedrooms were flicked off.

For over two hours, Konata had laid on one side, watching Kagami, wide awake. Then Konata got uncomfortable and twitched. Konata turned over to watch Miyuki's hair sprawling across the white sheets and her soft breathing allowed her soft, glasses-less features to portray her moe. Her vivid purple eyes ceased to be seen; Kagami's pajamas barley fitting her in the chest, making it come up and show her stomach some. Kagami's bed was beside them, her sleeping figure visible under the comforter she hid beneath. Konata turned onto her stomach, almost deciding to turn on her hidden DSi but kept it under her borrowed pillow. She noticed a stream of tawny light pour in from the light kept on in the hallway. Konata wondered why it appeared larger on the floor, the once slim square of light larger and holding a shadow in the center. "Tsukasa-chan…" Konata said sleepily.

"Oh, are you still awake?" she whispered, her bow-less hair alien to Konata.

"Yeah, just playing on my DSi," she lied, not wanting to admit she had been watching Miyuki and Kagami sleep for hours.

"I had a nightmare," Tsukasa said quietly.

"You came to sleep with Kagamin?" Konata guessed. She was looking into Tsukasa's eyes with sadness, and this Tsukasa caught.

"No," she replied with a little blush. "Can I sleep with Miyuki-san? I mean!"

Konata chuckled. "You can take my spot in the bed," she nodded. "It's fine." Konata grabbed her DSi and inched out of the bed, allowing Tsukasa to take her spot. Then Konata crawled around Kagami and snuggled up by her. Kagami's long hair was out of its ribbons and seemed to trap Konata there. And Konata was very happy about it. With a small grin she closed her eyes and slowly began to fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

"Misa-chan, wake up," Ayano softly told her friend, sitting up and pushing the blanket away from her legs. "Misa-chan…"

"Hmm?" Misao asked, the noise hoarse.

"Come on, wake up," Ayano continued, shaking her softly. Misao opened a gold eye and looked surprised to see the girl she liked in her bed…then she realized she didn't know why. She cocked her head, arching her brows high. Ayano laughed. "We stayed at Hiiragi's house, remember?"

Misao shook her head.

"Yeah, you fell asleep early. Come on, we should get dressed in our uniforms."

Quietly Misao whispered into her ear, "Who dressed me in Hiiragi's pajamas?"

Ayano blushed deeply and pulled away, bowing politely to let her know she was leaving. Misao laughed and knew the answer, then pulled the blankets off of her body and getting up to stretch. She casually exited the room, pausing as she heard the yawns of the girls in the other room waking up.

"They put our uniforms in this room, but they're still waking up so let's get our homework and school books…it's good I left some of my books in my locker."

Misao nodded, hoping to say, 'Me too! How lucky, huh?'

The two reentered Tsukasa's room and began to collect their school things that they would need that day and finding Tsukasa's phone. Ayano made a phone call to her home and did another call to Misao's home, reassuring her parents that they were all fine and good to go to school.

In Kagami's room, Tsukasa had woken up early, much earlier than the Moe Mistress she slept by, and began to prepare bento boxes for all of her friends. She was extremely exhausted though it was so early. As she cooked alongside her navy blue haired mother, Miki, who was making breakfast, she heard Misao and Ayano coming down the stairs. Matsuri and Inori were sitting at the table, Inori greeting the girls and saying something along the lines of, "Sounded like you had fun last night!"

Though currently in Kagami's room, Kagami was red with anger as she found her otaku friend lightly snoring with one arm slung across Kagami's front, her long hair across the short girl's torso. "Why are you in my bed with me?" she cried out, shaking the girl awake. Konata smiled and rubbed her eyes.

"Ah, Kagamin, it seems you are not a morning person," Konata remarked as she saw Kagami's livid face over hers.

"You were supposed to sleep with Miyuki-san!" Kagami roared.

Miyuki was sitting up and yawning, slipping on her glasses. She had woken just in time to hear Konata's truthful response, "But Tsu-chan wanted to sleep next to Miwiki-san!"

"She was the one beside me?" Miyuki asked, blushing. "Oh, I hope I didn't toss around at all!"

Konata explained, "But she had a nightmare too!" Then she crawled, actually crawled, across Kagami and broke into a run towards the stairs.

"Get back here! I'm not done with you yet!"

"Woo, Kagamin looks like she wants to bite my head off! Tazzy-chan, help me! Help me!"

"Hiiragi-san, please calm down, she was just offering your sister comfort after a nightmare."

Misao jumped off her seat and ran over to Konata to help her, tackling Kagami in a large hug when she reached the bottom of the stairs. Tadao chuckled, "You girls are so full of energy."

"Not me…" Tsukasa droned gently, placing yet another full bento onto the counter. "Here you go guys…all six bento boxes ready for school."

Everyone stopped, gawking at the once-again sleepy Tsukasa. Konata skidded to a stop by the table. She was the first to speak and the thing she said was what resumed Kagami's anger.

"Sexy."

"Konata that's my sister you're talking about!"

Misao laughed so hard she dropped her arms from Kagami and held her sides. Tears streamed down her face as she hooted. Ayano and Miyuki's faces resembled the same look of surprise and, in unison they thought, _So that's what goes on in Izumi-san's head…_

After breakfast, gathering the books they had, getting their homework ready—finished or not—and left for school. All that was going through Miyuki's head through the walk was that Tsukasa had slept beside her for many hours of the night.

* * *

Kagami ruffled a hand through her hair again, pondering whether or not she should take her ribbons out so it would look less childish or just keep them in. Kagami had earlier explained to her twin she would go to the park, she had something to do there, and Tsukasa decided to wait for her at the train station. Kagami twiddled her thumbs as she crossed the street. She reached the park before she could pull her pigtails out of their holders, and stood, waiting for the admirer to come.

Still in school uniform—but with the sleeves rolled up a bit—was the brown haired, green eyed foreign exchange student formally known as Hino Kortabé. He gave a devious smile. "I thought you'd come. You really want to be in love, don't you?"

"H-Hino!" she gasped. Then her mind clicked together the pieces. She had forgotten Hino had been calling her 'Kyo' in class. She felt extremely dumb to be standing there. _To think I was actually going to take my hair down! I'm such an idiot! I really must want to be in love…_ she thought sadly. _I didn't even think, once I was walking down here, that it could still be a girl!_

"Surprised? You should be," Hino laughed. "I want you to feel as bad as Miso. My true feelings are hate. I despise you all."

"You sent that so you could be mean to me?" she asked, bitterness entering her throat.

"I thought that I should talk to your friend in Kuroi's class," he shrugged.

"What happened to that plan?" Kagami exclaimed.

"I changed my mind. This would be more fun," he admitted, going up to her quickly and knocking her off her feet with a shove.

Kagami coughed at the sudden spur of dust that went around her like a cloud. She closed her eyes and choked out, "You're such a bastard."

"So?" he asked, bringing his face up to hers.

Her mouth fixed into a frown and she balled her hand into a fist. Pulling her fist back and sweeping it forward, she punched him in the nose, drawing blood. He cursed loudly and staggered backwards. Then she stood up and straightened herself up. "I was going to punch you and then kick you in the place where no sun shines but you know what?"

He growled at her angrily, his hand in front of his nose.

"This would be more fun." Then she went in to punch him again.


	5. Shisaku, tsuneni shisaku

Hello, it's Hollow again. Thank you so much those who are still reading this! I'm sorry this took so long to post it was my birthday and I got a tablet! Anyway, on to the story. Enjoy!

StaminaRose: I hope that the lack of our despised Hino in this chapter is appreciated…Thank you for the advice.

Chiyo And Osaka Fan: Thanks for the wonderful reviews!

* * *

'Another school day. It seems a bit more boring. Probably because Hino has been absent for the past three days. Hiiragi's wearing bandages on her hand from "punching him," she says. I'm glad she did that. He must have done something real bad to make her fire up that bad! I hope he's absent because he has a big ring around his eye. It must be embarrassing to be punched that hard by a girl.'

Misao sighed softly, looking up from the journal. She had been keeping it for the past three days by her mother's suggestions. If she kept a journal she wouldn't have to feel like nothing was being said. Misao tapped the pencil on the desktop and realized Sakuraba had passed out a worksheet. She tucked away the journal, hiding it from the bright-eyed Ayano, and began to slowly work. Her mind wouldn't stay focused, though. Something seemed wrong.

_All of that drama Hino was making… _Misao thought, _Sure it made me mad but at least I felt important to my friends! They all stood up for me too. That felt good._

Carefully, trying to not capture the attention of her teacher or classmates, she stole a glance at Ayano. Her red-orange hair was shiny in the sunlight cast from the windows, shadows on her porcelain skin softening her already soft features. A happy exhale escaped Misao's lips. She looked away quickly before Ayano could see who did it.

_I wish she would care for me like that again. Though I wish that I wouldn't be a second away from punching some jerk's lights out, _Misao thought.

She seemed to always be thinking, thinking, thinking.

**Ayano sighed. "Thank goodness their gone. I'll walk you to the train station, I don't want you to get hurt," Ayano told her.**

**'I don't have money for a ticket,' Misao wrote. Then she tugged on Ayano's sleeve and whispered into her ear very softly, "And why did he call me soup?"**

**Ayano chuckled, though her surprise of Misao's voice was obvious. "Don't worry Misa-chan," she told Misao. "I'll buy you a ticket. I don't want you to get hurt." **

Misao looked out of the window as a small blush worked its way onto her cheeks. Misao had noticed the sudden tension between them. Ayano seemed to be in denial, or that was what Misao forced herself to believe. Misao did the next three problems and looked once again at Ayano.

Ayano was looking at Misao and for that second their eyes met.

_Oh crap, she's looking! _Misao pulled back, imitating surprise of the so-called coincidence.

_I shouldn't have looked. I should not have looked! Now what? We're just staring at each other, _Ayano thought, dropping the glance and awkwardly waving to her friend. She mouthed the words 'hi.'

Misao hesitated before waving back. Then they turned back to their labor.

Relieved, Ayano wiped the sweat that had formed on her forehead. _It's all my fault, _Ayano thought bitterly, scratching down the last few problems she had left. _She lost her voice and it's all my fault… I can't ever tell Misa-chan though; she'll tell me it isn't true. But it is._

Misao twirled her now long hair. She had grown used to its length and it was almost comforting how long it was. The only time it had been as long as her shoulders before was in kindergarten. In the desk in front of her sat Kagami, long purple pigtails spilling onto the ground. _Maybe I should ask her for the answers? I might get in trouble though I really don't care right now. I don't even care about the work, _Misao sighed in her mind. She discarded her work and took out her journal once more.

'I really love that girl,' she wrote, then smiled and looked again at Ayano.

"Miyuki-san, what do you think?" Tsukasa asked, giving a close-eyed smile.

Miyuki jerked her head up from the book. "I-I'm sorry Tsukasa-san, I didn't hear you." Miyuki blushed and laughed softly.

Tsukasa's eyes opened slowly and she fixed her yellow bow. "Never mind, it's fine. Oh and Miyuki-san, you can call me Tsu-chan."

"With your permission I shall," Miyuki replied politely. "Thank you, Tsu-chan."

It was almost lunchtime and Nanako had given them a few minutes of free time. Konata was engrossed in her manga so she didn't hear Tsukasa ask Miyuki about kumquats and whether they were closer to oranges or grapefruits.

"Hmmm…I wonder where Onee-chan is," Tsukasa wondered aloud. She twisted in her seat and watched the door for a few seconds.

"She is just running late I'm sure," Miyuki reassured her. Then Miyuki took out her bento and waited for the bell. Her stomach was a second away from growling. _Oh that would be embarrassing, _Miyuki thought and a light frown pulled at her lips.

"Either that or jerk-ish Kortabé-kun is giving them trouble," Tsukasa frowned. She sighed a bit angrily. "He was so mean! I wonder why no one wanted to stand up for Misa-chan other than us."

"I suppose they thought it would be best to stay out of it. I was afraid there would be punching," Miyuki answered truthfully.

"I thought that there _should _have been punching! Go, go! Fight, yay!" Konata cheered, causing the other two to jump. Konata's mouth became a small triangle, eyes still closed. "What? Did you think I wasn't listening?"

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Kagami asked, coming up beside Tsukasa and putting her hand on her head. Ayano waved and said a polite hello and Misao gave a weak grin, trying to balance the three bentos stacked one on top of the other in her arms.

"Onee-chan!" Tsukasa chirped, looking up with a smile.

"Kusakabe-san, do you need any help?" Miyuki asked.

Misao fumbled a bit more and shook her head.

Ayano scratched her neck and explained, "She insisted to carry them for us."

Kagami pushed together the desks to form a table-like structure. Miyuki, Tsukasa, and Ayano quickly began to help. "Aren't you going to help, squirt?" Kagami asked Konata, who was reading once more to avoid helping.

"Kagamin, why use my energy to put together a table when I need to save up energy for a long night of gaming?" Konata asked matter-of-factly.

"Just sit down so we can eat," Kagami droned, sitting in her seat. She opened her bento and gave her compliments to Tsukasa, as usual, before beginning to eat. Tsukasa and Miyuki began to talk once more, about whatever it was they were saying before, and Ayano listened courteously. A few times she injected her opinion, explaining as well that Hino was absent, while others she peeked over to Misao and Konata.

Kagami began to think about the night her friends fell asleep at her house. Konata was supposed to sleep with Miyuki (and the thought of the possible harassing that could have followed gave Kagami the shivers) but curled up in her bed instead. She had slept better than any other night when Konata was beside her.

_Why did school have to ruin that? I was having great dreams, _Kagami thought angrily. _It was crazy, though! A sleepover on a school night?_

Unknowingly, Kagami blushed at the thought of Konata always sleeping beside her. Her mind was flooded with thoughts of other couple-related ideas. Her blush deepened and she didn't even break from her thoughts when Konata began snapping her fingers in front of her.

"Maybe she's dead…" Konata told the others. Tsukasa squeaked in fear.

_I wonder what she's thinking about, _Misao thought, putting a single finger to her lips.

"What happened to her?" Ayano asked. "She is not one to zone out."

Kagami jumped, abruptly stopping her fantasies from getting too much for her mind to process. "No, no, no, no, no!" Kagami exclaimed, eyes squeezing shut. "Why am I thinking about _that!" _

"Oho ho…" Konata laughed deviously, cat grin spreading onto her face. "Kagamin, what were you thinking about?"

Kagami gulped. _Did I really just say that out loud? Oh crap, what do I say now? _She thought with a wide eyed expression.

"Onee-chan, is something wrong?"

"Perhaps we should leave her to her thoughts…" Ayano suggested.

"…One should be allowed privacy," Miyuki finished without realizing.

"I have to go to the bathroom," Kagami stuttered before making her escape.

Everyone sat in awkward silence. Misao cleared her throat and looked around the room before resuming eating.

_She barely touched her food, _Konata thought, _I wonder what happened to my Kagamin?_

(A/N: Wow, I haven't done a Miyuki sided part in a while! Well…technically it's just her thoughts. So here you go, Yuki fans! If you want more of the first-years please review your suggestions…)

The clock ticked without pause as Miyuki scribbled down notes in class. Her thoughts slightly strayed from the work, even still, which was not common for the Moe Queen. She fixed her glasses and continued to write. Her skin began to crawl from her questions, the questions she would not find answers to without further investigation.

But investigation could lose her friends…

_I need to get answers, _Miyuki thought to herself. _Who should I start with? What should I even begin with? Why is Kortabé-san picking on Kusakabe-san? Because she's gone mute and he thinks she's stupid? Such cruelty…_

Miyuki shuddered, brushed away a piece of hair from her face, and continued to plan.

_There's no way for me to investigate that—investigate Kortabé-san's intentions—without stirring up something bad and embarrassing for myself. He's out for at least a week and I can't even question him over winter break, he'll be going back to America._

A frown pulled at her lips. She dismissed investigating Hino's hatred of Misao.

_Next we have Tsu-chan. Why did she insist on sleeping beside me the night of the sleepover? Could she…? No… she can't feel that way too. She's not like that._

Miyuki looked over to her friend, desperately trying to finish some work before Nanako moved on. She smiled lightly and turned back to her textbook. She scrawled some notes before allowing her thoughts to flow freely once more.

_Now Kagami-san, I believe. She acted so strange earlier at lunch. I need to find out what she was so startled about, what made her zone out for so long. Though I don't want to meddle, I cannot be left in the dark. Kagami-san would be the perfect place to start. I'll talk to her in private sometime soon…not today, it would be abrupt._

Tapping her pencil against her paper helped her think. Her eyes lit up differently than usual. Instead, they lit with determination other than embarrassment or happiness. A confident smile took over her light one.

_Lastly…Minegishi-san and Kusakabe-san…? There's been something weird between them. Ever since the accident, a stronger connection has formed. But how? And why? What happened in the hospital that night? What did Kusakabe-san tell Minegishi-san?_

Miyuki's eyes suddenly widened in understanding.

_I see. She was brave enough to tell her what I have longed to do so? The one Minegishi-san has her eye on is Kusakabe-san? It makes sense…now. I will begin there. A simple confrontation tomorrow, afterschool. Perhaps Minegishi-san can explain everything to me._

Miyuki's smile grew bigger. The bell suddenly rang and Miyuki slid into a mask, making sure Konata and Tsukasa wouldn't be able to notice what she had in mind for tomorrow. She faked a jump and then a small sigh.

"What's wrong?" Tsukasa asked, gathering her things as she prepared to leave.

"Somehow I didn't finish my notes…" Miyuki lied, palm finding its way onto her cheek, rosy tint on her cheeks growing darker. "I hope everything will be okay."

"Miwiki-san didn't finish her notes?" Konata asked in awe. Impersonating as a television show announcer she exclaimed, "What will happen next? Tune in next time to find out!"

Miyuki laughed softly. _Her impression is pretty good, _Miyuki thought.

The three then left the classroom, Kagami, Misao, and Ayano sliding in once they passed Sakuraba's classroom. Miyuki was the only one to stay quiet—except for Misao, though even she was chuckling—and once again she was left to her thoughts.

_They may be surprised—I would be awestricken if they weren't—about 'this' side of me. This planning, somewhat dark side of me. Well, no matter. They won't have to know until it's their time to. Until then, I'll just act normal._

Miyuki slipped a glance at Ayano and Misao.

_If I can._

* * *

A/N: Well, there you have it! Sorry if this chapter really sucked…and it took so long to finish it, too! But we have Konami, Miyano, and Tsuyuki, all packed into three somewhat long scenes! And for once I am writing a note at the end instead of just the beginning. Wooo.

Okay, as always please review and/or tell me how crappy this chapter was, give me ideas for the next one, and other suggestions! Thanks!


	6. Here's Hiyorin!

Hey everybody. By now, I'm sure you know who I am! Anyways, I would appreciate it if you please review and enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, nothing at all. Not even a marshmallow!

The digital clock was turned at an awkward angle, so much that it was hard to read the red numbers that displayed the time—three AM—and amongst the dark room was a clutter of clothes thrown askew and crumpled balls of paper in small pyramids here and there. At the desk sat a girl with long dark hair, wearing glasses. It was none other than Hiyori Tamura.

And she had an idea.

It was such a good idea, she had to write it down, disregarding the late (or early, if you must say so) time. It was one of those stir-you-from-sleep ideas, one that Hiyori Tamura couldn't ignore, even though it was a school night.

She sat, her pencil lazily pressed to the paper as she sketched her many ideas that filled her mind, and for once she wasn't drawing her two normal characters fashioned after her friends—who we won't name but you all know who they are. This time, she was drawing two new characters, whose story line fit in very well and was very close to a certain Misao and Ayano.

_As long as they don't find out, _she constantly thought to herself, _then it'll be fine to fantasize like this! It's not like it happened, anyways…_

In Hiyori's wandering mind, she had a dream that, when Misao (who was the boy figure in this dream) was hospitalized, she admitted her secret feelings to Ayano.

And, to Hiyori, this never happened.

But very soon she would find it did.

Her alarm clock blared thrice in monotone, and, grumbling while she did so, Hiyori slapped her hand down onto the button that dismissed it and fumbled for her glasses. A few more pieces of crumpled paper fell to the floor. Her hand clicked against an empty glass with thick beads of water still running down the sides.

_What time is it? _She thought sleepily, yawning and pressing her wire-framed glasses to her face. She twisted the clock towards her and peered at the numbers.

"Crap!" she exclaimed, almost falling out of the bed. She hopped up, swept her school uniform off the ground, and threw it on excitedly. Today, after all, Patty had invited her to her house to help her with some ideas for her doujin—which she already had, but it was no harm telling her best friend what she had in mind.

She stumbled downstairs; stubbing her toe three times and getting her fingers caught in the bedroom door before she shut it, and stepped into the kitchen nursing her hand back to health over dramatically. "Ahm, good morning, Mom," she sighed, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Did you clean your room yesterday?"

"Oh, um," Hiyori stammered. Her room had been getting dirtier each day since Misao's accident, only three weeks ago. She had been stuffing things under her bed and into her drawers, but fully _clean _it? Not a chance…especially since she had gotten very good ideas since the hospital. "Not really…"

"Make sure to do that," her mom replied, not looking up from her book. "Yes, and don't forget to bring some money with you to buy your lunch."

"Okay! But I'm running sort of late so I gotta go," Hiyori said hastily. "Love ya, bye!"

She bolted to the jar placed on the counter, fished out a handful of yen, darted to the door and put on her shoes and socks, before running down the street to the train station.

Where she just so happened to run into—yup, you guessed it—Ayano Minegishi.

And then she just happened to—she cursed her bad luck under her breath—drop her gathered things and her doujin sketches.

Which just so happened to—yes, you guessed it again—flutter into the wind.

"Oh dear, let me get that for you, Tamura-san," Ayano offered.

Hiyori's face drained of all color. "No!" she screamed, launching up and grabbing it out of Ayano's grasp. "I mean, no, I can get it," she rephrased in a calmer voice.

"Hey, that girl looked like me—"

"Um, yeah, I gotta go!" She gathered her things up in a flash and disappeared into the crowd beyond.

"That was odd," Ayano mused to herself, looking over her shoulder cautiously with her bright blue eyes.

* * *

Misao keeled over, gasping for a lungful of air before continuing her stride on the track. Ayano sat quietly in the bleachers, her orange-blonde hair twinkling in the morning light. They had already eaten together, at the picnic table where their group of friends had resumed meeting—with their younger first year friends as well. This time, though, they ate _alone _together, which made it all more special to Misao.

Speaking of first years, someone else sat at the top row of bleachers with magenta eyes and dark brown hair, almost black. She also wore wire glasses and was so busy sketching; it was almost nauseating to watch how fast she sped through paper after paper. _Tamura-chan, _Misao thought to herself, _what are you doing here, sitting on the bleachers instead of in the cafeteria with your friends?_

Still the first year remained, her face flushed with exhaustion as her hand struggled to keep up with her thoughts.

Misao turned her attention to Ayano, her sort-of-but-not-really secret-secret girlfriend. She gave a fanged grin and waved, continuing to jog around freely. She motioned for Ayano to join her down on the field, which she hesitantly did. Stumbling sheepishly down the bleachers, she asked, "What's wrong?" With a remaining grin as her answer, she strayed closer. "What is it?"

"Run with me?" she asked softly. Hoarsely, but softly.

With a barely noticeable "meep" from Hiyori, who started to draw even faster, the two girls began to run together. The silence was only broken by the sound of soft winter wind and their slightly labored breath. "You really do love athletics, don't you?" Ayano asked, smiling lightly. "You always did…"

"I guess so," Misao whispered, almost inaudible.

"How about we go get something to drink afterschool today?" Ayano offered, slowing her half-hearted run to a trudging jog.

_You mean, like a date, _Misao thought excitedly. _You're asking me out on a date?_

She nodded eagerly and jumped into a brief hug.

The lunch bell rang, echoing into the field from afar. Hiyori hissed a cussword, longingly looking down at her half-finished picture of the two pulling into each other's arms. As Misao and Ayano left, Hiyori gathered her things and sighed. "Why do I have to be such a pervert?"

* * *

Konata finished the last bite of her chocolate cornet and downed it with the final swallow of milk. Her heart fluttered with anticipation and excitement. She had been planning for the right moment the first time she saw Kagami, but finally she could put it into action. She pushed away from the desk and stretched. "Walk you to your class?" Konata offered.

"Um, okay," Kagami nodded, and the otaku looped her arm around Kagami's.

"Yay! Let's go," Konata replied, and dragged her out into the hall before Miyuki and Tsukasa could say goodbye. Instead of taking her to her class, though, she pulled her around the corner.

"Squirt, where are you taking me?" she asked, irritation creeping into her tone.

Konata stopped, turning around to face the tsundere, and smiled slightly. She got close to her face, standing on her tip-toes, and Kagami immediately blushed. "Sorry if you hate me for this but…"

Konata pressed her lips onto Kagami's, almost fiercely. It held for one second…

Two…

Three…

Kagami drew back and sputtered a tangle of words. Finally, one was clear. "Wow," she said breathlessly.

"I'm just saying—I like the tsun-tsun side better than the dere-dere! My waifu must be controlled, not doubtful," Konata sang, poking Kagami in the ribs. "See you later, Kagami."

She sauntered away coolly, stepping back into Nanako's classroom, leaving the stunned lilac-haired tsundere in the hallway alone.

* * *

Misao packed her things away as casually as she could, her voice still raw from speaking at lunch, her heart swarming with happiness and anticipation. Ayano waved goodbye to Kagami and wished her a good day before returning to Misao's side. "Ready to go?" she asked, rocking back and forth on her toes, obviously excited.

Misao nodded, stuffing the rest of her things away messily before scribbling down a note to her on a scrap of paper on her desk.

_I'll go drop this off and meet you by the table outside?_

"Okay," Ayano nodded, pushing her headband back into place and going out into the hall, the flood of people now a trickle of ten to fifteen more students remaining in the halls and one of them was the _meganekko _Miyuki Takara, who approached her cautiously.

"Good afternoon, Minegishi-san," she greeted with a small bow. "Could we talk? Outside?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I have to go somewhere…" Ayano politely refused.

Miyuki's purple eyes widened slightly. "I won't be long," she said hastily.

"…but I suppose," Ayano relented.

Miyuki exhaled quickly, nodding. The two exited the school in silence, Miyuki leading Ayano around the back of the picnic table and the tree near it, then stopped abruptly and her eyes dropped to the ground. "I've been thinking," Miyuki started warily.

"Thinking?" Ayano echoed.

"About you and Kusakabe-san," Miyuki explained. "After the crash, to be exact. She told you something in the hospital."

"Yes," Ayano agreed. "But what does this…?"

"Something _happened,_" Miyuki replied. "I know what she told you."

"Y-you do?" Ayano's response came out as a choked question. She immediately tried to regain face. "Is something wrong, Takara-san? You don't look too good."

"Everything started to change after _that _happened," she went on, ignoring the orangette. "You broke up with your boyfriend, you…"

Miyuki's voice died.

"You love Kusakabe-san, don't you?"

* * *

A/N: Okay, so this chapter is really short (again) and it took forever to make! But...a lot happened, and I finally got my favorite character (other than Misao of course) into the story. Well, majorly. Anyways please review your suggestions and what you thought about this chapter!

Bye-nii!


	7. Am Schwert

Onward!

* * *

"Dissection of an...earth w-worm?" Yutaka sputtered, looking at the flier handed out to them at the end of class. Her eyes wandered up and down the page, glazing over the diagram of the worm and the procedures, including the permission slip. Of course Yui would make her do it! She could already hear her slurred words, slurred with the alcohol that promised another lonely Christmas, and promised a very unhappy and smelly Tuesday.

"I'm sorry, Yu-chan. I must go to the library to drop this off," Minami apologized quietly, looking down at the frail girl. She showed her the book quickly before tucking it back under her arm. "I shall meet you in front of the school when I—"

Yutaka's eyes went blank, her face paled, and she fell flat out of her desk and onto the floor. As she hit the tile, she heard a strange whistling noise, and the color distorted. She watched as blue and red sparks filled the air. "Oops," she whispered, and tried to sit up. Pain shot through her skull like a blow to the head.

Minami helped the younger girl stand, stabilizing her delicately. "Outside," Minami murmured.

"Outside," Yutaka confirmed weakly. They exited the class together, the teacher simply watching with a creased brow.

As they awkwardly walked down the steps, drifts of conversation in the quickly emptying courtyard met their ears. They stumbled down to the picnic table, its paint a darker red than usual. Minami sat down, Yutaka putting her throbbing head down on her lap.

_Comforting thoughts, Yu-chan... _Minami sighed inwardly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch you," Minami said softly. "I'll call Izumi-san to pick you up, if you'd like."

"No, I'll be fine," Yutaka replied. She stroked her red hair carefully. "It didn't hurt that much."

The silence between them settled, both used to it. No one made a move to break it, the thin strings of words from others dying down slowly as well. The rustle of grass in the sweeping wind and the laughter of two second years on the school steps was as much comfort Minami could provide at the moment. She felt that silence was best, and nothing else.

"You love Kusakabe-san, don't you?"

Yutaka's closed eyes slid back open slowly. "Is that Takara-sempai?" she asked.

_Who is she talking to? _Minami thought. It was definetley Miyuki—Minami would recognize the Mistress of Moe's voice anywhere. Though this _tone _of voice didn't sound exactly friendly. Or, at least not natural.

"I don't know," the second person muttered. "I don't know if I do."

"I apologize. This must be dificult to-"

"No, it's...it's..." the second girl trailed off.

"I have a problem as well. I fear that I am falling into the same situation as you are, though I would be playing Kusakabe-san's part in this. I do not know if who I like likes me back," Miyuki said. "Or at least, not in that way."

Yutaka looked up at her mint-haired friend. "Should we be listening to this?" she asked fearfully. "It seems like we're intruding."

_We are, _Minami decided in her thoughts. She nodded lightly, and to her despair, she helped Yutaka up. Their calm moment—Minami pondered if she could call it that—was tossed. As they walked away, she caught sight of long orange hair beside peach.

* * *

Ayano felt the world swirl beneath her feet. Her hands balled into fists, glaring into Miyuki's twilight eyes. "I don't know," she growled. "I don't know if I do."

Miyuki sighted the sudden tensing in her muscles, wondering if she would see the fabled fury of Ayano Minegishi, told from Misao time and time again... A chill went up her spine. Maybe she had gone too far. Maybe love was a bit too much.

She bowed, as low as she could. "I apologize, this must be difficult to-"

"No, it's...it's..." she cut her sentence off, realizing she couldn't find words.

"I have a problem as well. I fear that I am falling into the same situation as you are, though I would be playing Kusakabe-san's part in this. I do not know if who I like likes me back," Miyuki said, her tone softening. "Or at least, not in that way."

"Aya-chan?" Misao asked as loud as she dared, and both girls looked up at the fanged athlete.

Ayano's face flooded with heat. "We have to go," she told Miyuki quickly, turning on her heel and surpressing irritation down. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Have fun," Miyuki replied sweetly.

_I hope I didn't make anything worse. I wish I was brave enough to tell her like Kusakabe-san did...

* * *

_

The coffee shop had a green awning, the image of a mouse stirring a cup of coffee with a spoon in the center of the green cloth. A few orange posters of new flavor arrivals were taped to the glass doors. "This is the place," Ayano said, a half smile on her face.

"_Va, _looks nice," Misao whispered in reply. She was met with a sharp sting in her throat, but ignored it. This was their first date, if you could even call it that—two girls still in their school uniforms and going to get coffee wasn't exactly a _date_. It was the first day she had said more than a sentence, and it hurt. A drink would help, and that was exactly what they were getting.

Ayano smiled bigger, worry still in her eyes, though, and brought the gold eyed girl inside. They went past a few tables with black chairs and shiny tops, and booths with creamy mocha colored seats, all the way up to the glass counter with different treats displayed on the shelves. Misao marveled, her stomach growling. She didn't even realize she was hungry until she pawed at the glass for a chocolate muffin and a dribble of drool started down.

"Misa-chan, do you want one?" Ayano offered, taking out some money to give to the man behind the counter.

Misao nodded eagerly.

"Two chocolate muffins, a latte with extra cream and...she'll have..."

Misao stood up and tapped on the picture of an espresso by the register.

"An espresso," Ayano finished. She passed the money over.

"Have a seat and I'll bring it to you when it's done," the man said, then turned his back to them. They settled in a short booth by the window free of smudges. As Misao watched people pass by in their winter coats, Ayano stroked the smooth surface of the table.

_How did she do it?_ She wondered, her brow creasing. _Why didn't I see it coming? She seemed so different...different than usual. I guess everyone has an off-beat side; I can relate._

Misao tugged out a napkin and retrieved a pen from her schoolbag, which was nestled at her side. She decided to give her voice a break—without running or walking around, writing something was easier. She slid the napkin to Ayano.

'Something's wrong, Aya-chan! Don't make me tickle it out of ya!'

"It's Takara-san," Ayano replied, pushing her smile away from Misao's note. "Nothing to worry about."

Misao cocked an eyebrow, pulled the napkin back, and underlined 'tickle' two times.

"Fine," Ayano gave in. "She found out about..."

Her tone dropped.

"_...us..."_

'Oh.'

"Two chocolate chip muffins, latte with cream, and an espresso," the man chirped, distributing the treats to the girls. "Have a nice day."

"Thank you," Ayano said, crumpling the napkin abruptly and shoving it down into her bag.

As soon as he left, Misao pulled out another napkin and scribbled a note down.

'Are you embarrassed about us? Because we're both girls?'

_Why is everyone asking me these deep questions today? I'm not ready for this!_

"I just don't want to tell everyone—anyone—yet."

Misao took a large bite out of her muffin, then washed it down with a swig of the espresso. The muffin was fluffy and sugary, the chocolate morsels melting upon contact with her tongue. Her eyes met with Ayano's briefly before she dropped them back down to the napkin.

'Would you be embarrassed if I did this?'

She picked up her things and slid over to sit on the same side of the booth.

"No...this feels alright."

That was the word she had been searching for. Alright. With Misao beside her, even if Miyuki was the only one that knew, it would be alright.

* * *

There! Uploaded so fast for once! I hope you love this chapter, I really liked writing it. Of course, I could cut off the story right here but...

Honestly, why would I do that?

Review, enjoy, and anticipate as always!


	8. A Trip to Akihabara

I've hit a dilemma! Although I titled this a Tsuyuki fic, I'm really warming up to a different pairing with hardly any love. I guess we should see how this story goes instead of me labeling it, ne? You'll see what I mean…just…read on….

Also, to OtakuGirl347: Thank you for all of your reviews! You're really helping me out, and I shall hopefully chat to you about this chappie after you read it?

* * *

It was the first day of Winter Break, and it was the first day of snow. Kagami sat in her bed, covered in blankets up to her neck, her finger still running over her lips. They sparked under her touch, just like they had under Konata's. The house around her was unusually quiet, except for an abrupt buzzing under her pillow. Begrudgingly, her finger retracted from her lip. She found her phone under her head, still buzzing from Miyuki's text.

**On the way to Sapporo, to see my grandparents… Have a wonderful break.**

**Tsu-chan is most likely still sleeping, so tell her I said goodbye.**

**See you in two weeks.**

**x Miyuki x**

"That's nice," Kagami mumbled, stuffing it back in place.

She knew she couldn't wait around all day. Somehow she had to tell Konata how she felt, but how _did _she feel? She enjoyed the kiss, but with Konata? Did she really want to be with her? If her parents found out, they would burn her at the stake. This was not a very good position to be in.

She pushed the blankets off of her, pulled her hair into a single ponytail, and changed into a long sleeved button up shirt as pale as the clouds outside with a beige skirt to match. Her stomach grumbling, she stepped outside of her room and started downstairs. A door closed behind her and, curious, she tossed a look over her shoulder.

"Good morning, Tsukasa," Kagami said, surprised to see her twin sister was already dressed.

"Oh, hello Onee-chan," she replied hastily. A blush altered her cheeks, her eyes glued to the floor. She, too, had picked out a shirt exactly like Kagami's, but it was blue instead, and black shorts followed. Her socks were to her knees.

"Have you already had breakfast?"

"It's lunchtime."

"Oh," Kagami sighed. "I'm not feeling too well. Are you going somewhere?"

"Kona-chan invited me to go to Akihabara with her."

"Why didn't she ask me?"

"Eee…she told me you might not want to see her…did you make her mad?"

"No, but she's right," Kagami said, almost too bitterly. "I don't want to see her."

* * *

The sun on the snow made the kitchen fill with a soft light, and despite the hour, Tsukasa was still in her pajamas. Miki sat on the couch, sipping tea from her favorite brown cup, and alongside her was Tsukasa. She sleepily flipped through the channels, waiting for one to catch her eye, before finding the cooking show. "Okaa-san, maybe we should make that tonight for dinner?" she remarked, watching as the man began to chop the onions.

"Alright," Miki agreed. "I'll get Inori to pick up the ingredients when she leaves for the library."

"Mmm…we should add some balsamic vinegar for good measure."

"Speaking of, I should start on lunch. Why don't you go see if Kagami's up?"

Tsukasa nodded and got up without another word. She climbed the stairs and started towards Kagami's room before she heard Konata's ring tone sounding from her room. She closed the door behind her when she was inside and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Tsukasa! Ya wanna come to Akihabara with me at one? I'm kinda bored so…"

"Okay, I'll go see if Onee-chan wants to—"

Konata's voice came in louder than she expected, cutting her off. "Don't! She might not want to see me…I already tried calling her but she didn't answer."

_Oh, she called Onee-chan first, _Tsukasa thought. _I guess that's normal but…_

"I think she's still sleeping," she explained.

"Ah! Eating all of those sweets are not good for her. They will make her fat and sluggish."

"So, you want to come to my house or should I meet you over there before we go?"

"My house! See ya then!"

The flat buzzing of the dial tone came soon after.

_It'll be okay though. Today I get to spend all day with Kona-chan! She'll be happy again, and maybe I can take her mind off of what happened with her and Onee-chan? They're just having a fight again, I'm sure, _Tsukasa thought, trying to remain optimistic. Oddly, though, her face was burning and her heart fluttered in her chest.

She changed into one of her favorite outfits and, remembering that her coat, scarf, and shoes were all downstairs, she reentered the hall and closed the door behind her. She looked back up and met Kagami's tired eyes.

"Good morning, Tsukasa."

"Oh, hello, Onee-chan."

She dropped Kagami's gaze, guilt entering her thoughts.

_Why am I so happy that she won't be with us?_

"Have you already had breakfast?"

"It's lunchtime," Tsukasa said bluntly.

"Oh. I'm not feeling too well. Are you going somewhere?"

Tsukasa continued to stare at the floor as she said, "Kona-chan invited me to go to Akihabara with her."

"Why didn't she ask me?"

_I should just tell her the truth! What if she gets mad at me too?_

"Eee…she told me you might not want to see her…did you make her mad?" Her voice came out like feedback in a microphone.

"No, but she's right," Kagami said, turning away from her, "I don't want to see her."

With Kagami's empty footfall as she clamored down the steps and tension crackling around Tsukasa, she finally was able to lift her eyes to watch the tsundere storm away.

* * *

Even when she heard the light knocking on the door, Konata and Patty couldn't lift their gazes from their game. "Hurricane kick!" Konata cried, clicking the buttons on the controller with such enthusiasm it was surprising it didn't break in her grip. A plush pillow of a green 1-up mushroom sat in her lap, an even smaller blue one sat on Hiyori's head.

"I'll get it!" Yutaka sang, leaping up from Konata's desk, closing the web browser quickly.

"Mm," Minami nodded, joining her friend's side. They exited together and, soon after, they returned with Tsukasa behind them.

"O-oh, I didn't know it would be a full house," Tsukasa remarked softly.

"Hiya, Tsuka-sempai!" Patty cried. "Yeah, first it was just going to be Hiyorin and I, but then we found out Kona-sempai had plans to go with you so we paired up!"

"Like a double date," Konata teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

Tsukasa looked away, hiding her beet red face.

"Yup, but then Yu-chan didn't want to be here alone, and she's never been to Akihabara," Patty continued.

"The horror!" Konata added.

"So it became a triple date," Patty concluded.

In turn, Minami and Yutaka also blushed.

"Yes! I'm gonna win!" Konata cheered, jumping up from her perch on the bed, sending the plush flying. Minami swiftly grabbed it before it hit the floor. "Aw-right! We're eating good tonight!"

"We are?" Tsukasa asked, before being grappled by the blue haired otaku.

"We are! Patty lost, so she has to pay for all of our food!"

"Do they have cake in Akihabara?"

"The best! To the trains people!" Konata said, grabbing her white jacket and zipping it over her red and white striped t-shirt.

* * *

"I can't believe you've never been!" Patty exclaimed, shaking Yutaka by her shoulders. Minami pulled on Patty's shirt to make her stop, but her shaking only became wilder. "That's it! I'm taking you to the electric town, and we'll go see a movie together, and go to a toy store and a candy store, and to _Tiara _but don't buy the royal honey milk because it's really just creamer!"

Patty sucked in a deep breath and collapsed back in her seat.

"That was a little much," Hiyori laughed, patting her friend's head.

"Osu…Tamura-san? Will we see any of this yaoi stuff here?" Yutaka asked hesitantly.

Hiyori and Patty froze, and a few of the other people on the train—which included a group of F*ll M*tal Alch*mist Cosplayers—turned their heads to watch their reaction.

"H-huwahhh?" Patty asked, then turned to Hiyori in disbelief. "What have you been teaching her?"

"Nothing! I don't know how she picked that term up!"

Konata burst out laughing. "Yu-chan! Yu-chan, ask that again! I think I heard you wrong!" she said, holding her sides.

"Did I say something wrong?" Yutaka asked Minami, her eyes rimmed with tears.

Minami shook her head.

Tsukasa's eyes lit up. "Ah! I remember what yaoi means!"

"You do? What is it?" Yutaka asked, turning her head to look over at her.

"You really don't want to know," Tsukasa and Konata replied in eerie unison.

"Eh?"

* * *

The snow fell in fluffy flakes by the time they left the station and the ice below their feet sparked in the lights of Akihabara. They paused in front of a computer store, allowing Konata to pull a map from her pocket. "Usually, I only make plans like this for Comiket," Konata said, "but I had enough time to put this all together with Patty."

"Ah," Tsukasa nodded, understanding. She pointed to parts of the map that were outlined in red and green crayon. "What are these?"

"My favorite shops are the red sections and the best Maid Cafés are the green," Konata explained.

"What about…that one?" Yutaka asked, pointing to a small area circled in blue marker.

"That's a fountain in Venus Fort. We'll meet back there for lunch in an hour," Konata replied. "I mean, I know it's kinda late to have lunch, but it'll be like a big snack—"

_Gurgle!_

"Hee hee…I didn't have lunch yet," Tsukasa apologized, patting her growling stomach sheepishly.

"That was so moe!" Patty and Konata remarked in unison, swarming the young girl with sparkling eyes.

"Onee-chan, it's okay if you want to take Hiiragi-sempai out to eat somewhere," Yutaka said, smiling lightly. "Patricia-san can take us around."

"Okay! Thanks, Yu-chan," Konata nodded. She grabbed Tsukasa's gloved hand and waved cheerily, rambling on about desserts and maids, the perfect combo.

Tsukasa simply smiled. She would have to thank Konata's cousin later.

* * *

Konata's legs and hands had gone completely numb by the time the two sat down on a bench outside the newest manga store, but at least the heat of Tsukasa nestled beside her made it better. Her tongue still steamed from the noodles and cocoa and her arms were full of bags bursting with new games, manga, and plush toys. One thing was keeping her from having a good time, though:

_Kagami._

The twin tailed tsundere had reappeared in her mind no matter what—the possibilities in Akihabara ranged from a certain _Vocaloid _Cosplayer to a prickly maid at the café with blue ribbons in her hair. If she really was mad at her, like Tsukasa said, did she not want to see her at all?

_I hope it's just today, _Konata thought, watching wistfully as her breath swirled into the sky in the shape of a leek.

"So, Tsu-chan, what do you want to do now?" Konata asked, her emerald eyes looking back to face her young friend, only to find Kagami staring back with an unusual air-headed expression.

"It was really fun today," Tsu-Kagami said. "Thanks for taking me. Do you think we could go other places together this week?"

Konata stared, and couldn't help but think that this was the exact replica of the girl she kissed, but sweeter, nicer to her, and always at her side when she was down.

_This is crazy. Before you know it, I'll be pulled into the SOS Brigade and time traveling._

"Kona-chan? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be a-okay! If you want, I wanted to learn how to bake cookies and I heard you're really good at that," Konata shrugged.

"I think they've got a three-for-one deal on Dating Sims," Tsukasa offered, jabbing a finger in the store's direction.

"Aw-right! Great thinking, let's go!"

_They might look alike, but no way in hell are they the same person. _

…_And time traveling would be nice._


	9. Spirit

My computer's fixed! Yahoo!

During its period of fail, I finished the last chapter and started working on this one early so I could have some data prepared. Also, I started to watch The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimaya, and I think it's pretty awesome. Mikuru and Miyuki are so alike, it's scary.

Ramblings aside—onward, yes?

**Before she opened her eyes, she remembered the howl of sirens and the snapping of bone.**

** Tawny sunlight poured through the thin paper walls of the tea room, the carpet padding her aching feet, the smell of white rice cakes coursing through her. The sound of wind chimes met her ears as she stepped closer to the short table lined with a wide assortment of foods, including a few other odd dishes she couldn't name. A petite bluenette in a white summer dress sat at the table, her hands folded in her lap. Her green eyes were so familiar…**

** "Welcome to my home, Misao," she said softly, her voice a light in the dark clouding her thoughts.**

** "Izumi? What are you doing here?"**

** "Please, call me Kanata."**

** Misao's eyes bubbled with curiosity. She sat down across from her and picked up the set of chopsticks set out for her. She pulled a plate of creamy cheesecake closer and took a small bite. An eruption of strawberries and ginger crust followed by its filling exploded in her mouth. She quickly replaced the bite with another, this time a piece of octopus cake.**

** "Did you make all of this?" Misao asked, reaching across the table for a slice of meatloaf topped with vivid red ketchup.**

** "There is lots of time to spare here," Kanata replied, watching the ripples in Misao's cup of steaming tea.**

** Misao cocked an eyebrow and frowned. "What is this place?"**

** "Misao, any time you wish, you are welcome to my domain," Kanata began nervously. "Please do not be afraid."**

** "Am I dead?" Misao asked, eyes widening. She rocketed away from the table, standing so fast her head spun. She remembered everything now—the screech of tires and the impact of metal in her side. Tears spilled over her cheeks. "I don't want to die!"**

** "I mustn't reveal your fate," Kanata whispered, rushing to her side. "You cannot be afraid. Promise me you won't be afraid!"**

** Rain howled around the room, the walls of paper suddenly sagging with the splattered weight. Wind tore at the corners.**

** "I…I promise," Misao whispered. "Thank you."**

** But when she awoke for the second time, the young woman was no longer there and the only noise was the steady beeping of the machine hooked to her arm.**

Misao tapped her fingers on the desk in a seemingly random pattern. The Winter Break homework sat in front of her, but she had no interest in doing it. At her own house, she seemed like a phantom. Although her mom was trying to take care of her, it only made her seem like a bother, and most of the time she never said anything back. Her dad evaded eye contact and hardly showed up at track practice, and her brother was locked up in his room every hour he wasn't at college, thinking how he and Ayano could have gone wrong.

_Ayano would take care of me, _she thought, and quietly put eight sets of clothes into her track backpack, a few spare manga, DSi, and her phone. Lastly she slipped into her winter coat and stuffed the pockets with extra yen. She found her running shoes under the bed, tied them on, and made her way down the hall without making a sound.

Nobody noticed as she passed through the brightly painted kitchen, through the glass back door, and down the old wooden steps to the small backyard. She opened the fence gate and stepped out onto the snowy street, her wooly black hat warming her ears. Misao tugged her socks up higher under her jeans, straightened out her long sleeved shirt, and sprinted towards the station in the crisp air. She had made this run before school many times, only this time she would take a different train.

Misao grinned as she walked up the street, every step bringing her closer to Ayano. She could see it—the large white house on the corner, its roof sugared in snow, short icicles forming on the edges. She felt like a train, her breath the visible steam puffing into the air, every step running her along the wooden track. When she reached their door, she knocked lightly thrice and stepped back, waiting.

The door cracked open, revealing half of Ayano's face. The door then opened fully.

"Misa-chan?"

"Can I stay here tonight?" Misao asked, slightly louder than usual.

"Yeah, come on in. My parents are at work, so we have the house all to—"

She was abruptly cut off by Misao looping her arms around her neck and kissing her on the cheek softly. Then Misao skipped inside and marveled at the spotless floors and clean furniture. Ayano blushed heavily and closed the door quickly behind her. _I've been cleaning for hours. I hope Misa-chan doesn't mess anything up, _Ayano thought, sitting down on the couch.

"So, any word from Hiiragi-san?" Ayano asked, the blush still remaining on her face. "Oh, let me get you some paper." She wandered to their secretary desk and rummaged through for a pad of paper and a pencil. Once she found them, she handed them to her friend.

'Which one?'

"…both."

'Got a text from Imouto that she was at Akihabara with Fox-chan yesterday. Nothin' from Hiiragi.'

"I see. Takara-san is in Sapporo, visiting her grandparents."

'Nice! We should go out somewhere today too, hmm?'

"Another date? B-but I'm not ready at all!" Ayano replied, frantically running her hands through her greasy hair. An apron was over her clothes, gloves over her hands.

Misao chuckled and scribbled, 'I'll watch some sports on the TV while you get dressed.'

Ayano let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, I won't take too long." As she hurried up the stairs, she heard the click of the remote and an outburst of booing and cheers.

When Ayano returned, she had on a long white skirt with black leggings underneath, a black long sleeved shirt, and a blue jacket. She tugged her hair from its usual headband, and in its place was a small flower tucked behind her ear. A white purse was at her side, stuffed with yen as usual.

Misao grinned and held up a slip of paper. 'Where are we going?'

"I thought we could go see a new movie in the theatre, and then shopping," Ayano offered.

'Can we go to that cake café?'

"Of course."

'Sounds like a date!'

Miyuki sprawled onto the pristine sheets of the day bed, her fingertips brushing the rims of the skylight in the slanted ceiling. Cool air salted the air in the attic, Miyuki's room for the time she would be staying in Sapporo. Her long pink hair cushioned her head, which still pounded with nausea from the long train ride. Her red bag was pushed into the corner of the spacious room, zipped tight. She carefully stabilized herself on the bed, ducking her head so she wouldn't hit it, and slid into the square of the skylight. The wind lashed at her face abruptly, but it died as quickly as it began. She closed her eyes and inhaled the smells of Sapporo, remembering. The cloudless sky seemed endless above her, a snarl of trees around them breaking the city into strands. Snow remained on the roof from the night before. She opened her eyes slowly and set her hands into the frost, absorbing the sights.

_Tsukasa would like it here, _Miyuki thought, a smile reaching her lips.

She lifted her index finger and a net of pinpricks swirled across it as it woke up. A drop of water hung from her short nail, suspended.

_Tsukasa would like it here very much._

"Miyuki?"

Aforementioned moe mistress jumped at the leathery voice. Slowly she withdrew from the skylight and settled on her knees on the mattress. Her grandmother stood in the doorway, watching Miyuki with familiar purple eyes. Her paling peach hair fell to her shoulders, and a fan of smile lines spread across her face. A red blanket draped around her shoulders.

"Good morning, Oba-chan," Miyuki greeted, and pushed her glasses up.

Oba-chan replied softly, "I do hope you are being careful up there?"

"Yes, Oba-chan," Miyuki nodded respectfully.

"Breakfast is ready. Something on your mind?"

"No, it's just good to be back," Miyuki lied. "I'll be down in a moment. Thank you…"

As she watched her grandmother trail across the wooden floors of the home, the Hiiragi girl with short hair crossed her mind once more. A light blush tainted her cheeks, and she made her way for the kitchen.

**TSUKASA is online**

KONAKONA: Hey Tsukasa! I knew you would be online today! =w=.

TSUKASA: Good afternoon, Kona-chan! I didn't wake up early enough today, so everyone went shopping without me…

KONAKONA: Great! =w=.

TSUKASA: G-great?

KONAKONA: Yup! Do ya think I could come over to your house tomorrow? I need to talk to you. =w=.

TSUKASA: Okay, that sounds great, Kona-chan. Around noon? I might be up then.

KONAKONA: dmaitt, Tsu-chna, wyh do oyu have to eb so moe? =w=.

Tsukasa's fingers hovered over the keys as she slowly deciphered the typos in Konata's text. She let out a pleased, "Ah!" when she had finished and replied.

TSUKASA: I don't try to be moe or anything…hee hee.

KONAKONA: Stlil you always ned up like taht! =w=.

_Maybe something's distracting her? I hope her cousin Yui-san isn't drunk again, that would be terrible. Her husband might not be coming home again and then she might start cuddling Konata and hugging her so tight she can't type and can't breathe! Oh no! Kona-chan, please breathe! I don't want to be all alone, especially in the first days of Winter Break. Without Yuki-chan, I'd only have Onee-chan and she'd make me do my homework all alone! Kona-chan, don't die!_

She was snapped from her frantic daydreaming when a large red goblin on the MMO attacked her party, which only consisted of the two.

KONAKONA: Tsu-chan, snpa out fo it! =w=.

TSUKASA: Sorry about that, Kona-chan. I learned a new healing potion, can I try it out?

KONAKONA: If I get hrut, gldaly! =w=.

In seconds, the goblin had charged a pulsing energy orb and fired it at the two. Tsukasa watched blankly as her HP bar slipped down to the half way mark. Her eyes slid to the right end of the screen, where Konata's pony-tailed avatar was hacking at the goblin. Her HP wasn't as damaged, but it would be soon. She frantically remembered the key word for the healing spell (H-3-A-K) and entered it in.

TSUKASA: Heavy Heal! Kona-chan, here ya go!

KONAKONA: Ty~ =w=.

TSUKASA: No problem, is he almost done for?

A burst of light enveloped the goblin and Konata's avatar posed in victory. A rally of numbers erupted over their heads, showing the experience points they had gained. A garbled trumpet sounded, and Tsukasa giggled.

TSUKASA: Yay, I made it to lvl 12!

TSUKASA: …oh yeah, Kona-chan, are you okay?

KONAKONA: is someone worried? =w=.

TSUKASA: W-well, you were just misspelling so many things and I was just wondering, that's all!

KONAKONA: lulz, I was just putting on my socks. =w=.

KONAKONA: So, I'll see ya tomorrow? =w=.

TSUKASA: Okay, Kona-chan. Be careful…

TSUKASA: I'll bake cookies for you.

KONAKONA: YES PLZ!

**KONAKONA is offline**

~  
The clouds were a soft pink in the setting sun, the sky dimming. Amongst the whispers of wind was the tea room, without a trace of the thin paper walls. In their place were dangling ivy vines, sprouting yellow blossoms and red berries. The porcelain hand of Kanata Izumi lifted into the sky. She lifted her finger and the sky altered to the color of afternoon, the clouds bubbling beneath her feet.

"Be careful, Kona-chan," she whispered. "You may break her."


	10. Triggering Flags

Hollow here! Sorry for the wait, everyone. This is more a sub-story, centered around Kagami, Konata, and Tsukasa. Basically…FLUFF CHAPPIE!

The games Tsukasa read in the second scene are (in English): _Alien Alert! Fallen Society, Alien Alert! Rival Relationship, _and _Shoot, Shoot, Fight!_

P.S. Thank you for your reviews!

* * *

Kagami Hiiragi lay in her bed—a dream swirling into her mind, looping around her like her lavender hair as she curled up beneath her sunset colored sheets. The window curtains were cracked ajar, and sunlight faintly poured in. Her sapphire eyes opened, and with a yawn, she sat up and stretched. A metallic clang and a loud ring floated up the stairs.

"What the…?"

She straightened out her green pajamas and drifted down the stairs. The distinct smell of cookies and coffee made her stomach grumble. Tsukasa was placed in front of the stove, a steaming metal pan in her gloved hands. Her hair was out of its bow, and she wore an orange hoodie with jeans. Kagami's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Good morning, Tsukasa," Kagami said, grabbing a polka dotted mug. She filled it to the rim with black coffee, and then added a dash of sugar. "You're up early?"

"Yeah," Tsukasa shrugged.

"And…baking cookies?"

"For Kona-chan. She's coming over today."

Kagami had little time to snarl the protest, because one of the delicious, buttery, warm cookies was shoved into her mouth. She hesitantly swallowed and took another bite.

"I think she wants to talk about your fight," Tsukasa said sympathetically. "She really misses you…and I don't want you to fight anymore, okay? You might solve it if she can come over. Please?"

Kagami nodded, surprised at her twin's to-the-point explanation. She battered the crumbs away with her hand, then muttered, "I guess, if it makes you happy."

"Thank you, thank you, Onee-chan!" she chirped, hugging Kagami tightly. When she retracted, she handed her another cookie—this one much cooler than the last—and wouldn't let Kagami give it back. "Now go get dressed or something, she'll be here at noon."

Kagami smiled to herself and took the cup of coffee with her to her room, passing a sleepy Matsuri and a coffee-wanting monster of Inori in the hall. No, Kagami didn't anticipate the midget's arrival at her home, but she did have questions that she could only ask the otaku face to face. Her lips buzzed. She pressed the mug to her lips and took in a heavy swig before disappearing in her room.

After all, if noon came around and the midget saw her in her pajamas, she might just want to kill herself.

* * *

A snow haired girl was skimpily clad in a black sun dress, a missile launcher resting on her shoulder. Her green eyes stared coldly into the distance. Directly to her left was a brunette in a blue school uniform with a large sniper rifle in hand. Behind them, was a scorched landscape and a bulbous green alien with spines and a dozen metal appendages splitting from its back. In blood red letters at the bottom read, _'Takokujin Taiki: Botsuraku Kousai!'_

"Hey, Kona-chan? You wanna play this one?" Tsukasa asked.

"What is it?"

"_Takokujin…Taiki?"_

"Is it _Hitteki Keizoku _or _Botsuraku Kousai?" _Konata questioned.

"Um…_Botsu—" _Tsukasa began.

"Played it," Konata shrugged. Konata hopped up and joined Tsukasa's side in front of the shelf by the homework-cluttered desk. "Bad ending. What else does our Kagamin have?"

"Do you guys want something to drink, or are you just going to keep looking through my shoot-em-ups?" Kagami deadpanned, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed over her blue sweater. "And call a spoiler alert!"

"Ah, here's a good one," Konata purred in approval. She crawled over to Kagami's sleeping game system and swapped out the disks. "Ta-dah! _Shinme, Shinme, Sentou!"_

"Onee-chan," Tsukasa said, eyes flaring with dull anger but voice slick with honey, "do you think you could get my cookies from the kitchen? I put them on a plate."

"I guess," Kagami muttered. "Just be careful with that game, alright, Squirt?"

"Yes, Queen Kagamin," Konata sang teasingly.

"Cookies and _Shinme, _then homework," Tsukasa compromised. "And be nice."

* * *

Konata skillfully navigated around the controller, shooting at three aliens and exploding them with a few nukes. "Almost…and…got 'em!" Konata exclaimed.

Tsukasa flinched at the loud sound but cheered at their victory as they completed the level. She wiped her sweaty palms on her denim jeans and grabbed Konata into a hug. "Yay! We did it!" she cheered.

"Y-yeah," Konata stammered, surprised. She looped her arms around Tsukasa's back. Tsukasa's hair smelled like sweet strawberries, and a warm glow bubbled up inside of her.

"Thank you, Kona-chan," Tsukasa whispered. "Thank you for making up with my sister."

The ghost of Tsukasa's breath in Konata's ear made her shudder. She looked up to the young Hiiragi, who had a scarlet blush across her face, and smiled. "Tsu-chan, the only one I want to make up with is you."

"M-me? But we haven't fought or-?"

Konata hesitated for a second, listening to the chatter of people in the living room below. Then, there came a squeak of wood stairs and slow footsteps.

_Now or never, _Konata thought, determined. _You have to do it! Now! Now!_

Tsukasa's eyes softened, understanding the girl's panic. Tsukasa ran her hands through the swirls of water blue hair and pressed into a kiss.

_This is real, _Konata realized. _This isn't one of my H-games; this is really happening. I'm kissing her, and I've already kissed Kagamin. But…something's different…?_

Tsukasa finally withdrew, rosy blush still on her face. "Kona-chan? A-are you okay?"

Konata nodded blankly, mouth curling into a cat smile. She sat back on the bed.

_She kissed back.

* * *

_

Ten minutes earlier, Kagami found her way down the steps, a dull anger bubbling up inside her.

"So, how's your little study group up there?" Inori asked, perched on the couch, book in hand. A bag of chips sat on her stomach, a few sprinkled crumbs on her lips.

"Not studying," Kagami shrugged. "It's the break, yeah, but they act like they've forgotten all about the benchmarks right after."

"They probably have," Inori grinned. "Why are you down here, all alone?"

"They sent me to get cookies," Kagami said, walking into the brightly painted kitchen.

The kitchen always had a sharp smell of many different spices and sugary cakes, fresh mixed vegetables and white rice. Of course, there was also the lingering scent of balsamic vinegar, simply because of Tsukasa's habit of sprinkling it onto any dish she could. Even the smell of cookies and coffee from that morning remained.

"Check the shelves," Inori suggested, not looking up from her book. Her plum colored hair fell into her eyes and a small smile spread onto her face.

"Okay?" Kagami replied, suspicious of the older. She opened the first shelf to her right and found a letter amongst the cups. "Inori, what's-?"

When she turned back to her sister, though, she was already slipping away towards the downstairs bathroom. Kagami heaved a sigh, knowing she was only delaying her return upstairs where the two were bashing her recent scores into the ground. Konata she wasn't worried about. It was co-op with Tsukasa that made her stomach twist.

_All of those hours, wasted, _Kagami thought glumly.

She tore into the envelope and her eyes scanned the page.

'Onee-chan,

I know you're still mad at Kona-chan—whatever she did, it won't happen again. She didn't mean it, right? That's how your fights usually end. Still, I want you to be nice! Also, the cookies are in the microwave. Reheat them for thirty seconds, and you'll be on your way.

Also, if you were wondering, yes I did plan this by myself. I'm talking to Kona-chan right now, probably! I am taking this time to be with her alone and make sure she apologizes. See, I'm becoming a better twin sister, right?

Love!

-Tsukasa '

Kagami set the paper down and went over to the microwave. As promised, the cookies were inside. She pressed the three down with her thumb, then the zero. Inside, a yellow glow faded in. She pushed herself up to sit on the counter as she waited.

_Are we really that predictable? So much Tsukasa is willing to help and concoct a _plan _for all of this? _Kagami asked in her mind. She twiddled her thumbs, remembering a certainly painful part that stuck out like glass in a rubber ball.

_Why did she say "becoming" a better twin? She's the best sister I could ever have!_

A sharp ring to her right made her jolt. Kagami slid down and took out the plate of cookies. She cautiously walked through the carpeted living room stained with bright sunlight, then started up the stairs not too lightly. With each step, a thunking sound followed.

"Gimme one," Matsuri said casually, coming out of the computer room past the living room.

"Fine," Kagami relented, and held one out to her.

"Yahoo! Alright, you can go now," Matsuri cheered, and shoved the cookie into her mouth.

Kagami gave her a thumbs-up and resumed climbing the stairs. She went down the hall and stopped in front of the open door way to her room. A blush shot over her face. Then, anger started to rise. Blood-boiling, throat-clawing _anger. _It took over her, face distorting with rage. She gripped the plate of cookies tightly, knowing that if she let go then they would know she had seen and she would hurt one of them. She already knew which one she would hurt, of course.

The one that hurt herself.

Konata Izumi.

"Kona-chan? A-are you okay?" Tsukasa asked.

Konata's dazzling green eyes never left Tsukasa's face. Rather, it was as if Kagami no longer existed in their happy-go-lucky world. Konata nodded weakly. Kagami squeezed her own eyes shut, trying to make everything disappear. Something wet ran down her face.

_I'm crying…? Over her? Or because she picked Tsukasa instead?_

_

* * *

_**A/N: Finally, it's out for the world to see! Sorry if it's short, I cranked out as much as I could. See ya next time! ****BYE-NII! **

**...**

**BAHAHAHA I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST DID THAT! XD **


	11. Last Day

Hey everybody. I know I said I would get to chapter fourteen this week, but inspiration skipped me. Sorry! So sorry…onto the chapter, I s'pose.

Also, sorry if Yutaka and Minami seem OOC in this! I'm trying to capture another side to them, especially since the show barely goes into their views. Please don't kill me! From now on, I will put '-o-o' to space out where a text is to make it stand out.

As token for the wait, I cram every single thing into this single chapter as reward! Good job!

* * *

The train rumbled and clacked as it sped down the track toward the Saitama Prefecture, the pale moon high in the sky and the cold stars watching over. The station was close, and with each passing second the train slowed until it came to a screeching stop. With a hiss, a garland of steam rose into the air and fogged the windows.

"Okaa-san," Miyuki whispered. "Okaa-san, it's time to get off."

"Mm…five more minutes…" Yukari mumbled, curling into a ball in her seat.

"No, Okaa-san," Miyuki continued, persistent. "We're almost home, remember?"

"Mmhmm…"

"Come on," Miyuki cooed, helping her mother to a stand.

With their luggage in hand, they guided their way around the other passengers and left the train behind. It hissed once more before trudging off. Miyuki caught a taxi on the side of the road and gave the man instructions to their rather large house. The minute her mother was in the back seat, she fell over onto Miyuki's lap and fell back asleep.

"She alright?" the driver asked.

"She'll be fine, thank you," Miyuki answered politely.

"She won't drool on the seat, will she?"

"No, sir," Miyuki shook her head.

The cab stopped in front of the large gates of the Takara home and Miyuki handed him the correct yen. She pulled her mother out and unloaded their luggage. She waved lightly as the man in the taxi drove away.

Yukari sighed; with eyes barely open, she hugged a single bar of the gate.

"No, not here, Okaa-san," Miyuki said, frantic. "We're almost there!"

"Ten more minutes."

* * *

_Last day of the Winter Break, _she mused.

With grace, she quickly eliminated all of the Nazi zombies coming her way. She turned the corner, noticed the zombies were breaking down all of the barriers she had set up over the windows. She rushed to them and shot the bloody corpses down. She repaired the first window and went on, sniping a few of the reanimated before getting too close. Something behind her cracked. She swiveled around and a pour of the walking dead were coming her way.

Minami Iwasaki groaned and hid her face in Cherry's soft white fur.

The controller vibrated in her hands, and she knew by now that bloody splotches were coating the screen by that time. She rolled up the long sleeves of her comfortable black shirt, clenched her fists and took a deep breath. Why she even got the game was questioning. She wasn't into that kind of blood and gore, but when she was younger, she took a liking to playing zombie games.

She thought that stage was over.

_Wrong._

"Maybe it's time to play something else," she muttered, ejecting the disk and placing it carefully back in its case. She returned to the home menu and flipped to _I M*ED A GAM3 W1TH Z*MBIES 1N IT!1_

As the black screen faded in, she heard a faint knock on the door. She set the controller down. Confident the game wouldn't start without her, she trailed down the steps with Cherry on her heels. She opened the door to see the _meganekko _herself.

"Good morning, Miyuki-san," Minami greeted quietly.

"Hello, Iwasaki-san. May I use your phone for a moment? I don't wish to wake Okaa-san."

"Sure," Minami shrugged. "How was your trip to Sapporo?"

"Wonderful," Miyuki smiled. "I even witnessed the beautiful Snow Festival there. It was amazing. Certainly your family brought you to see it as well?"

"Um…yeah," Minami lied. "We saw it in Hokkaido."

Miyuki politely nodded and escorted herself into the sun room, where she knew the home phone was placed. Minami scratched Cherry behind the ears and ambled back up the stairs. She proceeded to enter the game.

It was slow at first. A blue ring was surrounding the helicopter view of her character, **Iwasaki-X**, who was stationed in a field of stubby grass. The little zombies began to shamble towards her, and the music in the background began. She took open fire, occasionally twirling around in circles so she could hit them all at once.

After a few more moments of game-play, she reached her hardest challenge yet.

She had made the game angry.

"Sorry," she muttered to the game, but choked on her words when the game faded into black. It was obvious she had lost all of her lives and she hadn't noticed. Cherry whined and crawled into her lap, nosing the controller out of the way.

"Iwasaki-san?" Miyuki asked. "Are you up here?"

The door to her bedroom opened, and the peach haired girl entered silently. She closed the door behind her and took a seat on Minami's bed. Minami gave a slight wave and handed the controller to Miyuki.

"I downloaded the quiz game for you," she said quietly.

"Thanks," Miyuki smiled, navigating her way to it with Minami's instructions.

"Who did you talk to?" Minami questioned, laying back to get more comfortable. The pressing weight of Cherry on her chest was almost too much.

"Oh, I called Kagami-san and told her I was back home," she replied. "Tsukasa-san was at Izumi-san's house, staying the night."

"Don't they usually hang out all together?" Minami asked, recalling what Miyuki had told her of the three before.

"Usually," Miyuki sighed. "As I remember, though, Kagami-san has been ignoring Izumi-san for a while now, a little before the break. Maybe they got in a fight?"

"Maybe."

They were silent as the game began its run of questions, Miyuki going through each one as if someone had told her the answers while she was asleep. Occasionally she giggled, and other times she asked how Minami's day was and how Cherry had behaved while she was gone.

"How are things with Kobayakawa-san?" Miyuki asked.

She replied with a nod, burying her red face into Cherry's fur. This always happened when Miyuki asked of the frail girl. Minami watched over her like a hawk, and never hesitated to help her. Cherry whined a bit and shifted.

"Are you still playing zombie games?"

Minami nodded again, and looked away in embarrassment.

"Don't worry, you'll get over them," Miyuki reassured her. "Oh, I need to go. I guess I'll see you tomorrow? Unless you want to come over later?"

"Yeah," Minami agreed. "Thanks for stopping by."

* * *

The sky was cloudless, an electrifying blue. A brisk winter wind chilled the air, but the trees had green leaves on their limbs. The churning water of the Sumida was entrancing, and to walk beside it was paradise. The walkway was slightly empty, since the weather lingered cold. The tall silhouettes of buildings were behind them. Cherry excitedly padded around the walk, tongue lolling to the side.

"It's so beautiful here, Minami-chan!" Yutaka squealed, in awe of everything around her.

A long boat with an aqua colored roof made its way beside them, slinking through the shimmering dark waves. Cherry let out a bark in approval.

"Yeah," Minami agreed calmly.

"How has your break been? Is Takara-san home?"

"I've just been playing games," Minami shrugged.

"You're so cool, Minami-chan," Yutaka gushed. "May I walk Cherry?"

Minami handed the loop of the leash to the strawberry haired girl, who put it around her wrist for more control over the large dog. She went onto her knees and gave her a hug, washing the dog with compliments about her fur and how cute she was. Yutaka then continued to walk her down the dock, pointing out birds and flowers she could name by memory.

"Takara-san and Onee-chan will be graduating soon," Yutaka said softly. "They'll be going off to great colleges, but I'm really going to miss them."

Minami nodded halfheartedly.

"I mean, it was always okay living with Onee-chan because she was always so nice and caring," Yutaka shrugged, pausing to look across the river while Cherry went to a tree to do her business. "But next year, I'll turn seventeen and I'll be living all alone with Yui-neechan and Sojiro-san."

"It'll be alright," Minami assured her. "I'll be there for you."

"What if…something happens?" Yutaka asked sadly, eyes downcast.

"I'll still be here for you," Minami said.

"Promise?"

"Yeah," Minami nodded. "Promise."

* * *

The room was dark, filled with oppressive shadows. A single light emanated from a black handheld, casting a ghostly white over her green eyes and long blue hair. She pressed each button lightly, did each task quietly, so she would not wake the tranquil amethyst haired girl at her side. She was propped up by her pillow, blankets stolen by aforementioned Hiiragi.

With a long exhale, Tsukasa shifted, and her eyes opened.

"Good morning, Kona-chan," she said sleepily.

"Hey," Konata replied casually. For the past few days, the girls had holed up in Konata's room. This effort was made mainly to hide from the studying gremlin Kagamin. After a while, it was too much hassle moving the air mattress in and out so they shared Konata's bed instead.

"What time is it?" she asked, stifling a yawn and stretching.

"Twelve. Ish."

"Mm…"

There was a brief silence before Konata shut the handheld closed. She looked down happily at Tsukasa. She pat her head, and took her turn to stretch as well. "Kagamin called and said that Miwiki-san's back from Sapporo! Yukipedia needs to talk to you for some reason, though."

"She asked me to call?" Tsukasa asked.

Konata nodded, then stiffly got out of the bed. "You can use our phone. I'm gonna get dressed."

Tsukasa nodded and lumbered out of Konata's room. Konata swiftly changed into her usual clothes, a cotton shirt and jeans, then pulled on some white socks and started up her PC. After doing a quick check-up on her usual sites, she logged onto her game but turned the speakers down so she wouldn't startle Tsukasa when she came back in.

**KONAKONA is now online**

NANAKO: Hey, Izumi! Last day of the break, ne?

KONAKONA: Don't remind me…. =w=.

NANAKO: Hiiragi's been off for a while now. You seen her?

KONAKONA: We've been staying at my place for the past few. =w=.

NANAKO: I'm off to the Waterfall Catacombs to get some more cash. You don't mind tagging along, do you?

KONAKONA: Of course not! It'd be my pleasure. I can only stay for a bit, though. Tsu-chan's on the phone so I don't know how long it'll be. =w=.

NANAKO: Yahoo! To the caves!

KONAKONA: Sometimes I wonder if you're my teacher or not. =w=.

* * *

Tsukasa pressed in the numbers for Miyuki's home phone. She put the phone to her ear, waited as the phone droned its long dial before someone answered.

"Hello?" a childish voice asked.

"Um…hello," she replied sheepishly. "May I speak to Yuki-chan?"

"Yup, just a sec!"

There was a blip of muffling in the receiver, and very faintly she could hear Miyuki's mother calling for her to answer the phone. Then, the sound quality resurfaced.

"Hold on please!"

"Okay, Takara-san," Tsukasa replied respectfully.

"'Kay, thanks!"

Tsukasa put the phone down, resting it on her shoulder. She promptly took a look around the room, taking note that Sojiro and Yutaka were both out, and a few dishes from breakfast were still left on the counter. Her stomach grumbled, remembering it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon.

"Hello? Tsukasa-san?"

Tsukasa put the phone back to her ear. "Ah! Yuki-chan, you're back! How was your visit to Sapporo?"

There was a brief pause.

"Wonderful, thanks. How was your break?"

"Tiring," she sighed. "Onee-chan wants us to study so much!"

"Well, it has good reason. Benchmarks are right after we go back," Miyuki said, voice distant on the other end of the phone.

"Mm, yeah, but I'll do fine! I think…anyways, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

There was an awkward silence that seemed to stretch over hours.

"Yuki-chan?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized hastily. "I need to come over. I have something very important to tell you. You're at Izumi-san's, yes?"

"Yeah, I guess Onee-chan told you," Tsukasa confirmed. "I'm making breakfast soon, so come on over. It'd be nice to have you."

* * *

Misao and Ayano sat across from one another at the small café near the Minegishi house, _Onkei o Harau. _Misao had a cup of coffee with whip cream, while Ayano slowly drank her iced tea. Each had a plate with sushi and a bowl of ramen, chopsticks at the ready. Misao, of course, also added an extra side of meatballs, for flavor.

"I received a call from Hiiragi today," Ayano began. "She has informed me that Takara-san is safely back from her trip. She also wanted to know if anyone was up for last minute studying before the benchmarks."

Misao's expression could only be described as horrified, surprised, and contemplating all at once, yet so much more.

"Don't worry, I told her we weren't up for it."

Misao's arched eyebrows sank back into place, making Ayano laugh at how expressive she had become.

"But I did agree that we would go to the bookstore with her later today, around three o'clock. Tsukasa-san and Izumi-san are going with, and Takara-san, if she's up for it."

Misao grinned. Then, she scribbled on the napkin with her pen and slid it to Ayano.

'Video games?'

"I'll text her about it…" Ayano trailed off, and then pulled out her phone, which buzzed in her hands. An unknown number flashed on the screen. She opened the text.

-o-o-

'Before the break, I overheard a specific confrontation.

It's nice to have confidants on the first floor. Good luck.

-Miyk'

-o-o-

Ayano's eyes grew wide, throat tightened. She read it over, again and again until she could read it back to herself perfectly. Someone, this Miyk character, knew about their relationship…but he supported it? It was obvious he went to their school, a first year, according to the text. Still, she couldn't help but feel frightened. Should she be? This was the second person who knew about their relationship! She let it slip, it was all her fault.

Misao cocked her head.

"Text message…from a first year at our school," she explained. "Apparently he overheard Takara-san confronting me and knows…"

_Why can't she just tell people? Is she embarrassed about me? _Misao thought, grimacing lightly.

"It'll be okay though," she hurriedly added. "He supports us. Whoever _he _is…"


	12. Phonecalls

By the time Miyuki had reached the door, the day had warmed up considerably. It was almost as if in the span of a few days the traces of winter had cleared completely, leaving nothing but fresh spring air. The plants and trees had already gained their green coloration once more, a few blossoms coming in full. A faint breeze stirred, and the slight motion made Miyuki shiver, though she wasn't cold. She anticipated the door opening, anticipated Tsukasa-

"Oh, hey, Miwiki-san!"

"Good afternoon…Izumi-san," she greeted hesitantly. "May I speak with Hiiragi-san?"

"She's making food," Konata shrugged. "She couldn't come to the door but she made extra if you want some."

"Thank you," she nodded politely. She wasn't really hungry, but she didn't want to pass the chance to taste Tsukasa's cooking. She also didn't want to pass the chance to converse with Tsukasa normally before anything…happened. "May I come in?"

"Yup!" Konata opened the door fully, making room for Miyuki to go inside.

"Hi, Yuki-chan!" Tsukasa said cheerfully, not turning from her place at the kitchen counter.

Miyuki stopped herself before she could bow, remembering Tsukasa couldn't see her action, and simply recited her usual "Good afternoon" and sat down next to Konata at the table. In the silence, Tsukasa began to hum a small tune, which Konata identified as from one of her games she'd played earlier on her handheld.

"I'd like to try that game later," Tsukasa remarked, pausing in her work to turn and look at Konata.

"Sure, I'll teach you how to play!"

"I must speak with you before, though," Miyuki injected quietly.

"No problem," Konata and Tsukasa said in sync, and as quickly as their dialogue had come by, Tsukasa turned back around to finish cooking.

Moments after, Tsukasa handed them their—lunch for Miyuki, though she remembered something about this being their breakfast on the phone—food and they began eating. Although Miyuki remained quiet, they still had conversations in which she nodded and laughed occasionally so they knew she was listening. Her stomach twisted slightly as she finished eating. She had to keep in mind why she was there. Why she had even botheredto come over.

"What did you want to talk about?" Tsukasa would begin tentatively, after being pulled outside by Miyuki herself. She knew she would ask that question, especially if Miyuki had to beg her for privacy in the front yard of Konata's house. Then she would tell her. If she could. It seemed so _simple, _yet just the thought of it made Miyuki tense.

Tsukasa took Konata's leftovers and put them in the fridge, then took the other plates and set them in the sink. Konata dashed to her room to get the game set up for Tsukasa, and as aforementioned Hiiragi twin began to rinse off the dishes, Miyuki stood.

"May we go outside to speak?"

"Sure," Tsukasa shrugged, then clicked off the water and dried her hands. She used the same towel to wipe off the counter, and then hung it back up in place. As she did so, Miyuki took realized the notable difference of how clean the house was.

"Did you…clean up here?"

Tsukasa grinned and nodded. "No one else does, really," she shrugged. "Yu-chan tries, but she's always getting sick…"

Miyuki nodded.

Tsukasa started toward the door, slipping on her shoes quickly before doing so. Miyuki followed suit. They stood in the shadow of the house, which did little to cool the ground. Tsukasa waited as the brief still stretched from seconds to minutes.

"So…what did you want to talk about?"

Miyuki hadn't realized she was holding her breath until she exhaled. The intensity of the whole situation was coming into focus. Only a few boys had ever told Miyuki that they liked her, and as soon as they did so, she went off rambling about how she wasn't allowed to date and that it was nice they liked her but she didn't exactly feel the same. She sympathized with them, the boys who were rejected by her, the ones who actually had enough courage to admit their feelings. Now she was in their shoes, most likely to be rejected also. Had she ever truly given the boys much thought afterward? No, because they weren't her friends. But if damage were dealt to _their _friendship, it would matter…

"Yuki-chan?"

"Ts-Tsu-chan," Miyuki began, still unused to the friendly nickname Tsukasa permitted her to use, "I am afraid I have developed feelings for you that are not…normal." Miyuki was close to hyperventilating. She spoke too quickly, didn't even come close to saying what she meant to say.

"Not normal?" Tsukasa echoed.

"Romantically interested feelings," Miyuki said quietly. Her eyes blurred behind her glasses, making her smile weakly and pull them off to wipe them clean. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, I'm sure I messed up your afternoon…"

"It's okay, Miyuki-chan," she said softly, shrugging.

Miyuki sniffled and dried her eyes with her sleeve. She asked, "It is?" The question seemed directed more to herself than Tsukasa, as if she were thinking deeply about her "romantic interests."

"I just don't feel that way about you. I like…someone else. I like Kona-chan."

Miyuki couldn't form a sentence, eyes wide with surprise. She pushed her glasses back onto her face, and then swiveled to look back at the house they were standing next to. "You—together—you mean—but I—!"

Tsukasa giggled. "It's okay, remember?"

_It's not okay, _she thought angrily, _it's not okay, it's not okay! You and Izumi-san? For how long? And Minegishi-san with Kusakabe-san as well…nothing's okay with this. I'm not okay with this! I am not okay with you being so casual about this. Why are you so nonchalant? Don't my feelings mean anything to you? Did you suspect me feeling this way the whole time?_

She muttered a hurried apology and ran the distance to the train station. She dug out her phone and punched in the number of someone she could trust and who hadn't been dragged into the chaos. She didn't even realize who she was dialing until her voice came over the speaker.

"Hello?"

* * *

Hiyori should have known.

Correction: she had been expecting it, just not so soon.

She had known, from the first time to the most recent time she had experienced it, that it would mess with any artistic flow that crossed her thoughts. It wouldn't just mess with her artistic flow—it would beat it with a stick and pour hot coffee over its head. She had hit writer's block. Smacked right into it like it was a very invisible, but very real, wall.

This happened to her often. Really, it wasn't a big deal anymore. She knew exactly how to get rid of it. If she needed long storylines, at least twenty pages worth of artwork, she would invite Patty over; maybe go to a friend's house with multiple others. What she needed, though, was simple sparks of inspiration, at least five pages worth of work but much more story line. To achieve this, she would go to a café or walk around the streets.

Tamura reached for her cell phone. She dialed Patty's number out of habit, knowing exactly what it was, and brought the phone to her ear. "Hello? Patty? Yeah, this is Hiyori…n," she said into the receiver, reluctant to call herself the blonde's nickname. "Do you want to walk around with me today?"

"Oh, you hit the wall!" Patty cried, and then laughed.

"Yes, I hit the wall…"

"And I thought you had a pretty good inspiration source, haha!"

"It's a good source but because of the break I thought I'd try to push through a few more pages today." Hiyori shrugged, her action invisible to Patricia.

"I got ya," Patty chuckled. "Tsk, tsk, spying on friends! Might as well have some fun with it. Where are we going today?"

"Actually…can I go over your place?"

"Sure, I can make some coffee or tea," Patty agreed.

"Alright, thanks." Hiyori flipped the phone shut.

* * *

Kagami stared at the open book on her desk, mindlessly reading through information she already knew. She popped the cap off the pink highlighter and marked something in the text, then recapped it and wrote something beside it in pen.

It had only been a few days without Konata or Tsukasa bothering her whatsoever and she became extremely numb about the entire situation. She didn't want to think about it, talk about it, or even bother with it. It was clear in her mind: she was shocked about Konata, not in love with her. But Konata could just kiss anyone she wanted and label it as "exploring her sexuality?" Who did that? Well, other than the blue haired midget? No one she knew of!

_I don't like her that way. I definitely hate her for doing that though. For screwing everything up in my head a thousand times over._

Kagami pressed her face into the book and commanded herself to not think about it. She needed to focus back on her studies, to focus on getting ready for the upcoming tests, bluh bluh, etc. etc. And then the phone buzzed on the desk.

"Hello?"

"Hiiragi-san, y-you answered!"

"Yeah, I think I did," she replied flatly. "Miyuki, is something wrong?"

"Everything's messed up and it's all my fault."

"It…what? What happened?"

"Can I come over? I apologize if I—"

"Yeah, it's fine," Kagami cut her off before she went off, rambling about it being impolite, which could have gotten out of hand. She needed to help her friend, and keeping her on the phone longer wouldn't help at all.

"Thank you, Hiiragi-san," Miyuki said. "I'll see you soon."

"Bye, Miyuki," Kagami said quickly, the dial tone almost interrupting her goodbye.

She set the phone back on the desk.

_What…?_

* * *

A/N: It's SUMMER! I cranked this chapter out because…well it's all just phone calls, sort of a mini transition chapter. I need to hurry up and get them girls back in school. Hur hur. Okay, as usual, please review what you think and consider this as a milestone to the big finish!


	13. Strings

Have I mentioned how much I am a liar? Haha…I guess it's mainly because I've shifted to an entirely different fandom, so it's kind of weird to come back to this. I need to get these girls back to school to finish up the story! I just have to ask for everyone to be patient with me. I hope that's not too much trouble? ( c: )

Alright, as per usual, let's get to the chapter.

* * *

Patty raced to the front door. She had a few cuts and fresh bruises up and down her legs, unhidden by a pair of jean shorts. Her tennis shoes were untied, but this didn't bother her. She collided with the door after stumbling out of the living room—she had been in the midst of a boss battle in one of the video games she had borrowed from Konata for the break. Patty threw open the door. Hiyori stood in the apartment building hall, dressed in a green t-shirt and skirt, black leggings underneath. Behind her, Patty could see the elevator doors sliding to a close.

"Hiya, Hiyorin!"

"You have…bruises," Hiyori remarked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Yup! I got a little distracted the other day after shopping; I saw a few Cosplayers near the park and fell down because I didn't notice my shoelaces were untied," Patty explained.

"Shouldn't you put some band-aids on them?" Hiyori asked. "What if they get infected?"

"Oh, uh, I forgot to buy some band-aids," Patty shrugged. "I'm all out."

Hiyori lingered in the doorway a bit before stepping inside, then grabbed Patty's hand and tugged her into the kitchen. She reached into her purse and pulled out a tube of anti-biotic and a few waterproof band-aids. Patty situated herself on the edge of the counter, swinging her legs.

"You don't have to do this, y'know."

"You should be more careful," Hiyori replied. She knew how excitable Patricia could be, especially when witnessing a Cosplayer of any kind. When she first enrolled into the school, she was practically foaming at the mouth when she saw everyone in their school uniforms. She rubbed a bit of the anti-biotic into the first cut, causing Patty to whine a bit. She then put on the band-aid. Hiyori was silent as she treated her careless friend's legs.

Patty hissed and bit her lip as the cuts started to burn. Her hand picked at the threaded strings on her shorts. Hiyori tugged out her sketch book from her bag and started to draw hastily. Patty slid off the counter and started to make some tea, which she had forgotten to do earlier because she was enthralled in the video game. Hiyori drew a couple holding hands as well as designed a few outfits that she could use for the last scene she wanted to finish.

Patricia watched from over Hiyori's shoulder. Without noticing, she wrapped her arms around the dark haired girl's waist. Hiyori tensed before straightening and twisting around to face her friend. Patty gave her a small smile and pulled her into a brief hug.

"Thanks, Hiyorin," she said, smile widening.

"But…why?" Hiyori asked, looking up at her confusedly.

"Why not? You're a wonderful friend!" Patty chirped. "You've always been really nice to me and…well, you care about me."

"W-well, yeah," Hiyori shrugged, turning back to her drawings slowly.

"So, do you mind tellin' me what your latest story idea is?"

"Um, uh, it's n-no problem I guess."

It only took a few minutes of explaining the plot for Patty to realize who it was based on. They sat down at the small dining table with a cup of tea, discussing ideas and each taking turns drawing and finalizing designs and settings. Hiyori swallowed down her final gulp of tea, shaking out her left hand and her pencil set down on the tabletop.

"It's…sad," Patty said, her eyes trained on her hands, which were set in her lap.

"What's sad?" Hiyori asked, setting the cup down and pulling the sketch book back in front of her.

"About Misao-sempai," Patty said quietly, "and how she lost her voice. That was the worst part. It might take a long time before she can speak above a whisper."

"I know."

As Hiyori began to sketch once again, Patty twiddled her thumbs and muttered, "I just hope she's alright…"

* * *

Minami hesitantly coiled her arms around the red headed girl sitting in front of her. She let her chin rest on the smaller girl's shoulder, who smiled and asked her if she was feeling okay before looking back down at her book. It was extremely quiet in Minami's house, though that was normal for Minami Iwasaki by now.

"You know…" she began, voice hovering above a whisper.

"What is it, Minami-chan?" Yutaka asked, sliding a bookmark into the pages to hold her place.

"Sometimes I wonder about what the others are doing," she said quietly. "I wonder if… If they're okay, I wonder who they're with."

"Well, that's why we sent them a text, right?"

"Yes, but I'm starting to have my doubts."

"Mmm, doubts aren't good, Minami-chan. Tell me what's wrong."

"What if we were wrong?" she asked. "What if we assumed they were together, yet they weren't really, and our text has made everything awkward? What if—?"

"Sh, it's not nice for you to get worked up over something like that," Yutaka said comfortingly. "They don't have my number, and we used a codename, remember? Even if we did mess up, it won't change how they think of us! They're still our friends. We gotta support no matter what happens."

Yutaka was such a nice person, and when she was opinionated about something, she made sure everyone around her knew she was standing up for what she thought was right. Minami knew this from the day she met her, and knew she had to protect her innocence. She didn't want anything to happen to her best friend.

"Right, I'm sorry," she apologized.

"No need to say you're sorry, Minami-chan!" Yutaka said, laughing lightly.

After they had taken Cherry out for a walk, they had spent the rest of their afternoon at Minami's. They discussed their friends and had stumbled upon quite the realization. Still, they had come up with the nickname of Miyk—the first letter of their names, Minami Iwasaki and Yutaka Kobayakawa, creating it—and they had texted Ayano to let her know they were on her side no matter her sexuality. It wasn't hard to believe what they thought was true had really happened. After all, they had overheard someone confronting Ayano…

Even though it had been a few hours since the text was sent, no response came, and Minami was buried in her thoughts. Occasionally, she wondered if she were the same way. Usually she dismissed the thoughts. Other times, she couldn't help but think of anything except for those thoughts.

Minami resituated herself on the bed, laying back and watching the ceiling with blank eyes. She listened to Yutaka, flipping the pages of her book with a soft _tick-swish. _After a few moments, Yutaka looked up at the clock.

"Oh, it's almost two."

"Hmm."

"I should probably head back home now."

Minami sighed.

"Onee-chan and Tsukasa-sempai are going to the bookstore later, so I need to be at the house before three. I wish I could stay, though," Yutaka explained.

"Okay."

Yutaka pushed herself off the bed and grabbed her things, but just before she left, she returned to Minami's side and planted a warm kiss on her cheek. Minami didn't react much, only looked up into Yutaka's eyes, somewhat befuddled.

"What was that for?" Minami asked.

"I don't really know," she replied with a shrug. "It's fine though, because we're still friends!"

For a while the two just stared at one another, not saying anything, just blankly waiting for something else to happen. Finally, Minami spoke.

"Oh, yes, of course. Friends."

Yutaka took this as her signal to leave. "Just friends," Yutaka mused cheerfully, then waved goodbye before she turned on her heel and exited Minami's house.

* * *

Not long after Kagami had received the phone call, Miyuki was at the door. She looked like she had been crying for a while, but she tried to remain positive. A very fake smile was plastered on her face. Kagami invited her upstairs and, after she hastily threw a few of her stray clothes into the hamper and put away her study books, sat down on the bed next to her on the bed. Kagami idly tightened the ribbons in her hair as she waited for Miyuki to tell her what had happened.

"I apologize, Hiiragi-san, I must look terrible."

"You're fine," Kagami reassured her.

Miyuki folded her hands in her lap and her fake smile disappeared. "This will be…somewhat hard for me to tell you, but I think you deserve to know. It's about Izum—"

"Did she kiss you?" Kagami cut in, suddenly extremely angered.

"N-no, of course not," Miyuki said quickly. "It's about Izumi-san and your sister."

Kagami's posture went slack as she relaxed. "You caught them doing something, too, I guess. They should be more careful, but they're too empty headed to care."

"Wait…you knew about them?"

"She didn't tell me, I kind of walked in on them kissing."

"W-w-what did they say?"

"Nothing," Kagami shrugged. "They didn't know I saw them."

Miyuki stammered.

"What, did they come out to you?" Kagami asked.

"Well, sort of, yes."

Miyuki wondered if she should say what she went over there for, but hastily decided against it. No point in pulling it up unless it was absolutely needed. In fact, she would rather keep her embarrassing rejection for no one to see other than those involved. Kagami stared down at the mattress and exhaled softly as she thought.

"She's going to have to tell our parents sooner or later."

Miyuki nodded and stood. "I think I should be heading home soon. I'll be okay in a few days."

"We'll still see you at the bookstore, right? At three?"

"Not likely," Miyuki frowned. "I, um, need to stay home with my mother today."

"Oh, but—"

And that was all Kagami could say before Miyuki went out the door.

* * *

A/N: Okay guys, sorry that took so long. I had to do a book report for summer homework as well as put two Cosplays for the upcoming San Japan convention this August, which I will be attending! I'm going to try and wrap up Hush in the next chapter, so prepare for conclusions.

(Also, the next chapter takes place a few weeks into the next semester. Just a heads-up about the time skip.)

Hope you enjoyed chapter thirteen!


	14. For the Better

Alright, hello everyone! Hope you're ready for the last chapter because I plan to make it a long one. I've been sorting everything out about how to close up all of the ties. I've been awfully busy, and I apologize about not working on this chapter sooner. Thanks for reading and enjoy!

-Hollow

The sky was a paling blue, the sun slowly rising over the treetops. In front of the high school was a freshly painted picnic table, sitting in the shade of a tree. For a while, the mixture of first and third years didn't sit at the table. The time period between the accident and winter break, it was only joined by the girls in pairs of trios. A few weeks after the new and final semester, the group had resumed sitting there, yet the picnic table was empty that morning. No one sat on its benches, warmed by the sun and cooled by the shade provided by the large tree. No one had arrived. Yet.

Kagami and Tsukasa approached the tree in silence; Tsukasa's dazed expression revealing she still hadn't awakened fully. Kagami was staring straight ahead, away from her sister whose hair was frizzed and her summer uniform on crooked. She was itching to begin reading her new light novel, since it had taken quite the effort to put it down the night before.

"Oh, we're the first to arrive, sis…" Tsukasa said quietly, taking a seat on one side of the bench. She stifled a yawn and pulled her phone out of her bag. She started up one of her games, quickly turning down the sound before the introductory music sounded.

Kagami sat down on the opposite side of the bench, almost exactly across from her twin sister. Kagami grabbed her book and flipped it to her marked page. She glanced over at Tsukasa's yellow bow, crooked in her purple hair, but did nothing to fix it. "I wonder where everyone is today. Three day weekend and suddenly everyone's too lazy to get up," Kagami said flatly. She began to read, and the only noise on the bright spring morning was her flipping through her book.

"Tsukasa!" Konata cheered, speeding toward the picnic table energetically. Tsukasa flipped the phone closed and turned around, smiling widely. Konata held tightly onto a small Gamers bag, and Yutaka was drifting over to the table, keeping her distance from her excited cousin.

"Good morning, Kona-chan," Tsukasa greeted, anticipating the reveal of what was in Konata's bag. Konata sat down heavily on the bench next to Tsukasa, dumping three new manga onto the table, their covers shiny and vivid with pinks and yellows. Konata ran a hand over her new manga with a cat-like grin. Kagami sighed and shut her book, irritably examining Konata's most recent purchase.

"Don't these look awesome?" Konata exclaimed.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Kagami sighed.

"Good morning, Hiiragi-san," Yutaka said, sitting down at the edge of Kagami's side of the bench. "I needed to go to the store next to Gamers, so I woke up early to go with Onee-chan." She smiled and crossed her legs under the table.

"Good morning," the twins said simultaneously.

"Look, it's Miwiki-san!" Konata said, abruptly pointing across the courtyard. The well developed young lady was heading over to the table, her usually long peach hair trimmed to the middle of her back and she was wearing a new pair of glasses.

"Good morning," Miyuki greeted, standing at the head of the table. "I had to wake my mother up, and I almost slipped several times in the kitchen because she had forgotten to clean up some spilled cereal…oh my, it was an awful mess. I almost had to take the latter train."

"Ah, you're so moe, Miwiki-san," Konata chuckled.

Kagami rolled her eyes and clipped her fingers over her nose, pulling the words from the otaku's mouth, "because being clumsy is moe, and moe is sexy!"

"That does sound like Kona-chan," Tsukasa giggled, smiling warmly at her sister.

Konata frowned and let out a whine. "Clumsy_ is_ sexy…"

Patty arrived moments after Minami, extremely distressed about her misplaced Haruhi DVD. Konata hastily replied that she had left it over at her house the past Saturday, which engaged a long string of somewhat inside jokes they had created over the weekend while watching an abridged series online. They transitioned into talking about their work shifts.

Hiyori stumbled over to the table, clutching her sketch book to her chest. She hissed at Patty when she asked what she was drawing, but Patricia only laughed and continued talking to Konata. She began to resume sketching one of her many ideas, a crooked smile barely tugging at her lips.

Yutaka and Minami were talking to Tsukasa about how nice the weather was, and how close the school festival was. Minami didn't input much commentary, especially when the other two girls began talking about cooking.

Lastly, Misao and Ayano arrived at the table. The tree that loomed over the picnic table was humming with cicadas, but that didn't stop Misao from sitting on the grass directly under it. Ayano reluctantly sat beside her, occasionally giving the branches over their heads wary glances. A leaf fluttered down inches away from Ayano's face, and she let out a small yelp before realizing it wasn't a bug. Misao let out a quiet laugh.

Moments later, a familiar exchange student walked up to the picnic table. He cleared his throat and the girls turned to look at him. The silence that fell over the table was almost deafening. His palms started to sweat, especially once he realized Kagami was sending him a piercing death glare.

"I-is Kusakabe-san here?" Hino asked, looking down at the ground.

Misao let out a heavy exhale, standing up and brushing off the blue skirt of her summer uniform. She crossed her arms and frowned, her fang curling over her bottom lip. Her gold eyes watched him, somewhat angrily but also confusedly.

"Look, I'm really sorry; I shouldn't have picked on you like that…"

"Yeah, no kidding, bastard," Kagami scoffed.

"And I'm sorry I deceived you, Hiiragi-san," Hino stammered.

"Well, apology not accepted, but thanks for the effort," Kagami said.

For a few seconds that felt like hours, Misao nodded. She let out a dry cough and continued to watch him expectantly. He turned to leave, but Tsukasa caught his arm.

"Excuse me, but…um… I think you should apologize to my friend, too, for knocking her down."

Miyuki flushed at the memory.

"Oh…uh…sorry."

With that, he hurried back towards the doors of the school as the bell began to ring.

As Ayano unloaded her things from her bag and sorted them into her locker, she remembered to turn off her phone. She had saved the mysterious text from Miyk, in hopes of finding which first year supported her relationship with Misao and how they even found out about it. At first, the idea of even saying she had a girlfriend was weird. She felt uncomfortable with the thought of anyone knowing, especially after the scare with Miyuki. Now, a year after the horrible incident and a year after being with Misao, she had let the whole thing sink in.

She still remembered Misao's voice the way it had been before. It was traumatic not only for Misao to have been hit by a car, but it was distressing enough for her to become almost…shy. She hadn't been herself for so long, but Ayano remembered both sides of her. She loved Misao either way.

Ayano was almost ready to tell her parents she had a girlfriend now.

It was a terrifying thought, but she was ready.

"Minegishi," Kagami said, appearing at her side. "We've only got a minute to get to class, come on. I am not going to be late because I waited for you!"

They entered the classroom just a second before the tardy bell rang. Sakuraba told them to take their seats and do their warm ups, and then asked Hino how his trip back to America was. Kagami still looked irritated by his arrival, but they didn't spat at each other or exchange mean comments. Ayano sighed, relieved. She sat down behind Misao.

"Hey," Ayano greeted quietly.

Misao grinned and waved in response, her fang curling into view.

Ayano pulled out a piece of paper and began to answer the problem written on the board.

The sky swirled above the small blue haired woman. She had promised to help her daughter be happy, and to do so, she had kept a watchful eye on all of her friends. Even if it meant visiting them or simply hoping they would pull through alright. She settled out on a cloud once more with a cup of steaming hot tea in her hands.

Kanata found herself pleased with not only her daughter, but Kagami as well. She had certainly doubted her emotional strength. When it came to brute force, it was rather the opposite. Kagami was not only coping well with the ordeal, but she wasn't discriminating her twin's romantic life because of it. Kagami did not let herself be broken up; rather she was cool and collected. It was truly an admirable thing.

Kanata lied back and watched other clouds march along over her head like a scrawny parade. She didn't feel like she ever did enough for her daughter, but she didn't do too little, either. Satisfied and blissful, the spirit gazed up at the sky with a light smile.

Rejection wasn't truly that bad of a thing, Miyuki decided. Besides, who was to say she truly liked Tsukasa in that way? Perhaps she had over thought everything. She might have made a mistake. For Konata, the thought of Miyuki making a mistake might have been inconceivable at the time, but to the girl with glasses herself, it was very possible. Tsukasa could have just been her closest friend and she believed it to be something more.

_That was truly a long explanation, _she thought to herself, _for something no one cares about. I won't even voice my true opinion; it'll just make it awkward._

As Nanako began her instruction, Miyuki pulled out her spiral and copied down the notes, but she wasn't actually focusing. She was too busy with her thoughts. Yes, it was true that Miyuki no longer could decipher whether or not she still had lingering feelings for the younger of the Hiiragi twins. Feelings were a fickle thing. Feelings needed time to be thought over, time that Miyuki simply did not have.

_So…where did I go wrong? Confessing to her was probably not the wisest._

Yet she learned something from her experience, which somewhat leveled it all out.

Miyuki decided that she was over the rejection, but pushed her chaotic thoughts about how she still felt for the young girl to a far and dark corner of a mind.

_For later, _she thought. _I can always come back to it later._

As the first years gathered together for their early lunch period, Minami and Yutaka passed one another uncertain glances. It felt like they knew what each other was saying, yet no words were said aloud. A silent conversation. It fit the both of them all too well. Finally, they decided together to explain to Patty and Hiyori what they believed was going on between Misao and Ayano. As the four were getting settled at the back of their classroom, the mint and the pink haired girls started speaking at the same time.

"I think we—"

"Um, there's something—"

Yutaka blushed and laughed as Minami apologized, encouraging the shorter girl to finish speaking first.

"Well, earlier in the year, Minami-chan and I heard Takara-sempai talking to someone while we were outside together. Um, she sounded kind of mad, and she was saying that she knew what was going on and she sounded really different," Yutaka began.

"We later concluded it was Minegishi-sempai that she was talking to," Minami added in quickly.

"Yeah, so…we kind of think Minegishi-sempai and Kusakabe-sempai are together."

Yutaka's last phrase fell onto the desks in front of them, suspended in the silence as the other two girls waited for her to finish.

"Uh…like…relationship together," Yutaka added quietly. "Like lesbians…"

"Aw, that sure is cute!" Patty cried excitedly, popping open her bento.

"I had my suspicions," Hiyori said, shakily reaching for her sketchbook and pencil.

Somewhat surprised at the other's reactions—or lack of, for that matter—Minami and Yutaka let out small sighs of relief and started eating.

With a whine and a scrape, the desks were pushed together to make their usual table. It was the third years' lunch period, and as soon as the bell had rang, Kagami came through the door with Misao and Ayano right behind.

"Hey, Onee-chan!" Tsukasa greeted cheerfully. Konata had a mouth full of chocolate cornet, but she waved with her trademark grin nonetheless.

"Good afternoon everyone," Miyuki said with a nod.

As they sat down in their usual places around the table and began to eat their food, Konata and Tsukasa continued their somewhat pointless conversation. It drifted between topics from time to time, and overall was uninteresting to both Kagami and Miyuki (unless of course they had gotten an obscure fact wrong that Miyuki could correct.)

"You know, they were talking to us about the kite festival in homeroom," Kagami said, turning to face Miyuki. Ayano turned away from Misao, who was busy trying to grab a meatball clumsily with a pair of chopsticks.

"It seems rather interesting," Ayano nodded. "I would like to attend."

"Woah, woah, Kagamin!" Konata exclaimed. "I have a huge dragon kite that is super awesome and reminds me of the final boss from _Dragon's Blade 4 _or something and I totally want to go!"

"Onee-chan, what do you do at the kite festival anyway?" Tsukasa murmured.

"Wah!"

At first, the voice was alien. It had a certain spin to it. It wasn't too strong, but it was loud enough to drown out Tsukasa. All of the girls at the table recognized it, but they hadn't heard it so loud in so long. They turned their gaze to the brunette.

"M-my precious meatball," she drawled.

In a span of five seconds, the girls were chattering excitedly. Misao didn't even notice how loud she had spoken until they did, and a huge fanged grin spread over her face.

"It's been a long day," Ayano commented, sitting under the large tree she had that very morning. Misao bobbed her head in response, watching the road for her parents' car. The sunlight filtered through the orange tinged leaves. Ayano's long fingers picked at the soft grass under them. She ran a hand over a gnarled brown root beside her right leg.

"Hey," Misao said.

Ayano smiled at the sound of her voice. Each time she heard it was a reminder she was getting better and things would be back to normal.

"Yeah?"

Misao slid closer to her girlfriend, hugging her tightly and giving her a quick and warm kiss.

_Almost back to normal, _Ayano thought as the blush slid over her face. _A better kind of normal._


End file.
